Step 4 — Repeat this process until the flower is dry. You can also use this method to jumpstart the more traditional pressing method and transfer your flower to a book or a press to finish drying. Then they should be dried after a couple of days instead of weeks.

If you’re a beginner or buying it for a child, then make sure you get a flower press kit that is designed to be easy to use and very approachable for someone who has never done this before. Failure to get the right difficulty level can turn out to be a very boring experience or a very difficult one, depending on where you missed the mark. Value

Top tips for pressing plants

If using a bouquet, keep it in water until ready to press. (Tip: Always cut stems at an angle and place flowers in a vase with flower food to maintain freshness. Replace water daily and remove any leaves below the water line.)

However, there are several other ways you can press your flowers. Read on for a few different options. Use a wooden flower press:The Modern Flower Press is a storybook full of entertaining facts, myths and legends about flowers. Melissa and Amy explain all aspects of the history of pressing flowers, from its origins to the present day. They show you how to choose the right flowers for pressing, how to prepare and press them, and share ideas for projects and artworks to display them in all their perfectly preserved glory. From their own small and large-scale commissions to lovely ideas that you can make at home by following their clear, full-colour illustrated step-by-step instructions, there are designs here to make best use of your favourite garden or wild flowers. Using a microwave and cooking the flowers for short periods of time, you’ll be able to see a difference in a matter of seconds versus waiting weeks using the old-fashioned methods. Perfect for impatient folks! You can buy special microwave presses, which may give better results, but we haven’t tested those. Iron the flowers to press them: Some other flowers that work well for pressing are violets, baby’s breath, lilies, hydrangeas, Queen Anne’s lace, buttercups, lavender, cosmos, pansies, daisies, and larkspur (aka delphinium). You can also dry small herb stems or fern leaves. Some may have issues with the cooking time on their microwaves as it does vary between each kind of microwave depending on what power is being used, but once you get used to your own microwave, flower pressing will be a breeze. What Others Are Saying

Fred adds, 'Try drying your plant specimen next to a radiator or central heating boiler if you have one - these provide a nice flow of warm air. Even warming the newspaper before using it helps drive moisture off.'

How long to press flowers?

If you’re just getting into flower pressing and don’t yet know if you’re going to like it, it might be best for you to get something very affordable so you won’t feel bad about purchasing if you decide not to proceed with the hobby. To do this, place your fresh blooms between 2 sheets of parchment paper in the microwave and place a heavy microwave safe dish on top. Microwave on medium power for 90 seconds. No idea how to press flowers? Catherine Brant, founder of Precious Petals, is here to talk through the basics of getting started, with handy tips for using household items to create beautiful results. How to press flowers: an easy guide Selecting the flowers