Freeze-Frame Your Garden: Steal Nicole Kidman’s Idea for Timeless Flower Keepsakes

As the icy chill of winter sets in and the growth of your garden slows, it’s easy to feel nostalgic for the blooms of summer. But, as Nicole Kidman recently reminded us with her Halloween Instagram post, you can preserve floral magic long after the frost arrives, simply by pressing flowers.

With a few well-chosen blooms, a bit of gentle care, and the right tools, you can create delicate dried flower keepsakes that capture the heart of your garden and bring it indoors.

Picking the Right Flowers to Press

Not all flowers behave the same way, as some are better suited for preserving their form and color than others. Flowers with thin petals, like pansies and violas, are perfect since they have a flat shape and a delicate texture. Daisies, especially the white wild variety, also flatten beautifully, and keep a cheerful look that reminds you of warmer days.

Other equally strong candidates would be cosmos, delphinium, and forget-me-nots, which all have the right balance of moisture and structure that makes them press well. Susan McChesney, a pressed flower expert who runs McChesneyart.com, says “Dye flowers (used for flower pounding and dyeing) are reliable (usually) for retaining most of the color pigment.”

If you’re looking for something with the look as well as the scent of summer, lavender presses especially well. Its slim stalks dry flat and retain their scent and color. If you prefer something with a bit more texture, consider foliage too: ferns, eucalyptus, or even airy Queen Anne’s lace.

Timing Your Harvest for Best Results

It’s imperative to harvest your blooms at exactly the right moment to retain peak color and form. You want to pick a flower when it’s just opened, not too early and not too far past its prime. McChesney says, “The earlier in the plant’s blooming cycle a blossom is preserved, the better the color retention. The bigger (older) the petal is, the more the color is spread.”

Time of day is also of utmost importance. Ideally, you should pick the flowers right after the morning dew has evaporated so the petals aren’t overly damp. Trim stems carefully, remove any excess leaves, and try to press as soon as possible for the best color retention.

Techniques for Pressing Flowers

There are a variety of ways you can press flowers, and that depends on how elaborate your setup is and how quickly you want to see results:

• Traditional method: Place the flowers between absorbent paper, such as parchment or blotting paper, then sandwich them between heavy books. Rotate or change the paper every few days until the flowers are fully dry.
• Microwave pressing: A quicker technique, if you need it, is to place the flowers between parchment paper sheets and cover with a microwave-safe plate. Gently heat in short bursts and let it cool between cycles to preserve the shape and color of the flower.
• Silica gel: If you’re going for thicker flowers, such as roses, dry them in silica gel preserves, which helps retain their three-dimensional form and color.

Even though it’s for children, if it’s your first time pressing flowers, this Tender Leaf Botanical Press from Amazon is a great starter kit.

This flower press kit from Amazon is another great one if you want something a little more detailed.

Preserving Color and Shape

In order to keep your pressed flowers looking fresh and not yellowed, check your press regularly, especially during the first week. Change the absorbent paper when it becomes damp. Once the flower is dry, use tweezers to remove it.

For lighter or paler colored flowers that often brown, cooler pressing temperatures or slightly looser pressing can help with the discoloration. To reduce browning and fading, keep an eye on humidity and oxidation. Whites and greens tend to brown more easily, and as McChesney explains, “The primary thief of color (other than UV light) is exposure to oxygen.”

Sealing pressed flowers, whether that’s through lamination or vacuum-sealed envelopes, can help maintain their vibrancy.

What to Do with your Pressed Flowers

The next thing to consider is what you want to do with your pressed flowers. There are a variety of creative things you can do:

• Frame them individually or in small collages to make wall art
• Create handmade scrapbooks, cards, or bookmarks
• Use them for jewelry making, coasters, or paper weights.
• At Christmas, you can encapsulate them in clear glass ornaments

Nicole Kidman’s Instagram post reminds us that even in winter, you can still preserve some beauty from summer. By harvesting at just the right moment, using the right methods, and choosing the right flowers, you can capture the spirit of the warmer months to help you get through the dark, cold winter season.

Flower Pressing Essentials