Planting flowers, growing a garden, and buying succulents are some of my favorite interests.

But certain flowers can only last outside for so long. I like to preserve my flowers as art work to enjoy all year long.

Keep reading for simple steps for how you can enjoy your flowers too!

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Steps for Preserving Flowers:

• Wait until the flower is in full bloom and completely open, but before it starts to die and close up.
• Pluck the flower off from the very top, leaving a small amount of the stem
• Carefully turn the flower upside down or on its side and place it on a tissue for drying. Don’t use a napkin or paper towel because it may leave a pattern or imprint on the petals.

Now We Wait

• Leave the flower on the tissue for a few hours to fully dry from any possible moisture. I tend to put mine close to a small lamp.
• Once dry, get a piece of parchment paper and a large book.
• Fold the parchment paper and fit it into the binding of the book between two pages towards the center. Make sure the parchment paper covers the pages fully. This way you protect your book!
• Carefully remove the flowers from the tissue and lay them in between the parchment paper folds.
• Arrange the flowers as you prefer (flat, petals facing down, on the side etc.)
• Don’t over crowd the space to ensure the book will close flat and properly.
• Once the book is closed, carefully and tightly, place other heavy books or heavy flat objects on top of the book with the flowers in it. I’ve also seen people use a belt to add pressure and keep items in place.

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Time for some Patience

Let the flowers and books sit for 2 to 3 weeks. Preferably in a temperature controlled environment.

Flower Home Decor

Now you can place the flowers in a picture frame!

I like to use simple patterned scrapbook paper as a backdrop for the flowers. This also adds thickness and texture to keep the flowers from moving around on the glass once in the frame.

Now you can enjoy your flowers all year around!

Please keep in mind not all flowers work well for the flattening process. I also recommend using a book you no longer need incase a flower does not dry out properly or creates colored stains in the parchment paper.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you found this article helpful for preserving your flowers.