Don’t you wish you could easily hold onto your garden’s flowers all year round? Melissa will show you how with a modern twist to the traditional practice of flower pressing. In the past, you waited for the hard-cover book to squash the flower suitably over a matter of months, but Melissa’s method cuts the process down to a matter of minutes. Now, all you need is a kitchen appliance we’ve all got at home.
Harness lasting memories of your summer garden and bring your blooms indoors for winter loving.
How to press flowers in a microwave
Gather your supplies
- Glass or Perspex-covered picture frame with backing card
- Flower and foliage cuttings
You’ll also need
- Clean, sharp secateurs
- Clean, sharp floral snips
- Roll of plain paper towel
- Microwave oven
- Microwave oven-safe casserole dish
- Oven mitts
- Tweezers
For you to note
- Don’t use patterned or embossed paper towels, as the pattern will leave an impression on your flowers.
Here’s how
Step 1
Take apart picture frame. Use secateurs to pick suitable flowers or foliage. With floral snips, remove leaves close to flowers – leave those lower on the stem – and any unruly or drab parts of cutting.
Step 2
Place flowers and/or foliage cutting on 2 paper towels. Cover with 2 more paper towels.
Step 3
Cover with microwave-safe casserole dish – the dish will press the cutting – then place in the microwave.
Step 4
Microwave on low heat, such as defrost setting, for 30 seconds. If paper towels are damp, replace and zap in microwave oven for another 30 seconds.
Step 5
Remove from microwave using oven mitts. Set aside dish, carefully lift off top layer of paper towel.
Step 6
Once flowers look and feel completely dry, lift them from paper towel and place with your hands or, if delicate, with tweezers, on backing card of frame.
Step 7
Cover backing card with glass or Perspex and gently replace in frame.
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