How to Easily Make Botanical Art with Pressed Herbs

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How to Gather and Prepare Herbs To Make Botanical Art

You will want to gather your herbs at peak time, when they look their healthiest. Gather on a sunny day when the sun has dried all moisture from the stems. Use sharp shears to harvest herbs.

Remove any excess leaves or damaged areas. It’s best if the plant leaf is as flat as possible. Leaves that are curled are not ideal for pressing.

How Do You Dry Herbs by Pressing?

The easiest method is to press herbs or flowers using a heavy book. However, if you are working with a large quantity, a flower press will work best.

Drying Botanicals With Old Books

First, let’s explore pressing herbs with books. I have an old dictionary that I like to use. If you are not concerned about the book’s condition, you can lay your herbs between the pages without any protection. Some herbs, especially flowers, may stain the pages. If this is a concern, place your herbs between two pieces of parchment paper, copy paper, or paper towels, and then put them between the pages of your book. The parchment paper doesn’t let the herbs dry as quickly, but copy paper and paper towels may let moisture bleed through to your book pages.

Place the drying paper inside the open book, toward the back. Place the herbs on the paper and make sure there is no overlap. Place another piece of paper on top. For best results, cover them carefully so they do not shift their position. Close the book and ensure that all of the herbs are inside.

Safely Use A Flower Press For Drying

If you have large quantities of herbs or flowers to be dried, a flower press is your best option, and you don’t need to worry about damaging your old books. So to be safe, you can purchase a flower press or build one like this. This is an easy DIY, and I’ve shared the tutorial link at the end of the post.

With a flower press, you can use copy paper and cardboard to easily separate the herbs. You can add several layers to be pressed simultaneously.

Place herbs on a sheet of paper inside the press. Arrange the herbs on top, then cover with another sheet. Then place a piece of cardboard on top. You can then add another piece of paper and make another layer. Just continue to place cardboard between each layer.

Once you have all the herbs or flowers arranged, add the top back to the press and tighten the screws. You will not need to add additional weight if the screws are tightened well.

Check Herbs For Dryness

Begin checking to see if your herbs are dry after a couple of weeks. Here is the result after three weeks of pressing. Not all herbs are great for pressing, and I was not as happy with my basil. The leaves are tiny and curly. Therefore, they didn’t dry as well this time. The flatter leaves of oregano and dill dry best.

Which Herbs Are Best For Pressing?

Although you can press all herbs, some press more easily and look better after drying. Here are my favorites.

1. Dill
2. Mint
3. Thyme
4. Oregano
5. Cilantro
6. Sage
7. Rosemary
8. Lavender

Now, To Make Botanical Art?

Now that your herbs are dry and flat, you can begin finding frames for your botanical art prints.

I love these gold frames; however, I already have three frames. I purchased them from IKEA for a future project, and since I’m always budget-conscious, I used what I had on hand.

If you use a pressed glass frame, you will need a background for your herbs. I used some quality acid-free paper that I had on hand. In addition, I used a calligraphy pen and handwrote the names of the herbs on the heavy paper.

How Do You Attach The Pressed Herbs to Paper for Framing?

Next, you need to add the herbs to the acid-free paper to frame for botanical art.

I used basting adhesive to keep the pressed herbs from slipping. A light mist of spray will hold the herb in place on your paper. The basting adhesive is acid-free and helps to maintain the color of your herbs.

I held the spray can 24 inches from the herb and gave it a light spray.

Because pressed herbs are easily damaged, exercise caution when handling them, especially when applying adhesive.

How To Frame Pressed Herbs For Botanical Art?

Now, add your pressed herbs to the glass to make botanical art.

To attach the background paper to the glass, add just a mist of adhesive to the center of the paper. Then, align the paper in the center of the glass and press. Finally, gently place the top glass into the frame, being careful not to damage the pressed herbs.

Other Ways To Preserve Herbs

In addition to making botanical art, you may be looking for additional ways to preserve herbs for out-of-season use. Be sure to read How to Dry and Freeze Herbs for out-of-season use.

You might also enjoy this tasty basil pesto recipe. You can freeze this recipe, and it’s a great way to use up any excess basil.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. This technique also works for pressing and drying flowers. It’s a great way to preserve your flowers and turn them into art.

I began by displaying the framed botanicals to decorate inside the greenhouse. However, I quickly realized the excess sun exposure was fading the herbs.

Resources

Build a DIY Flower Press for Preserving Botanicals

If you are working with flowers and a large quantity of botanicals, you will need a flower press. You can purchase a flower press such as this one, or see how easy it is to make one from scrap lumber. See Easy Flower Press: Upcycle Scrap Wood To Preserve Botanicals

More Favorite DIY Projects

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• Copper Hanging Pot Rack
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• Nautical Rope Mirror Tutorial
• Easy Rustic Ladder Tutorial
• Distressed Decoupage Lamp Makeover
• Easy Thrifted Lamp DIY – Pottery Barn Hack
• Pottery Barn Leaf Napkin Ring Hack
• DIY Flower Press Tutorial using Scrap Wood

I appreciate you stopping by; your comments and questions are always welcome.

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