Flower Pressing Pursuits

I have been an avid flower-presser for a few years now. I became interested in this hobby in 2017 when I was working on a vineyard in Perth. A Thryptomene shrub in full flower was getting a trim and I thought it was such a waste to throw the beautiful branches away, so I took a few clippings home and stuck them between the pages of an old workbook. After a few weeks being pressed under some books I put them in a floating frame as a birthday gift for a friend. I loved the process of waiting to see how the flowers would transform over time - how the colours would fade, and how it would look in it’s new form as a 2D version of it’s former self. 

In 2018 my boyfriend got me a flower press for Christmas which gave me more motivation to keep experimenting with different types of flowers. When I ended up working on a plant nursery, we were constantly throwing away plants and flowers that were no longer fit to sell. Much to the amusement of my boss, I was always bringing plants home to either revive or clip little bits off to press. My biggest flower haul yet was when I bought around 100 small pansy seedlings home, which were destined for the bin at the nursery. I spent a few days pressing them all.

I’ve slowly built up a collection of pressed flowers, which I scan and use to create my pressed flower prints and postcards. I also make limited numbers of floating flower frames which I am currently selling at markets around Perth.

A lot of it I do for fun - I just enjoy the process. I do feel a bit of pressure to monetise this hobby, but it’s something that takes time and can’t be rushed, which is why I haven’t made much pressed floral art sooner. But I do love being able to create beautiful prints from these little bits of nature. Scroll down to the bottom to read my flower pressing guide :)