When the students return to school for the fall term, Granny's Flower Pressing Adventure combines flower pressing and bouquet picking with a review of garden rules.

To focus only pressing flowers, follow the simple directions below and you cannot fail.  However you plan to use the plants you are pressing, a simple phone book will work as well as the most expensive and complicated flower press.

Materials

phone books

scissors

Cutting the flowers

• To save time and to help students understand which flowers are best for pressing, we recommend that you pre-cut 3-5 flowers and leaves per student ahead of time.  Keep them fresh in cups of water.

• Cut flowers after the sun has dried the dew. 

• Cut only perfect flowers.

• Cut flat flowers that do not have puffy centers or backs.  Check the website for flowers that press well.

• Cut leaves and stems as well as flowers.

Explain the kinds of flowers to cut

• Show the students some of your pre-cut flowers to explain the kinds of flowers to cut.  Students should cut flat flowers.  Show the students a marigold and a zinnia.  Point out that these flowers should not be cut for pressing.  The thickness of the flower will not press thin enough to be usable in a craft and it is likely to get moldy.  (Most classes make and laminated bookmarks.  Thick flowers do not laminate well.)  Show an orange cosmos and tell the students to carefully snip off the tall yellow center so the flower will press flat.

• Tell students to ask you BEFORE they cut a flower if they are not sure.

• Explain that the students should collect flowers from your pre-cut selection to use up all of them in their phone books.  Explain that students can cut 3 more (total) flowers and leaves. 

• Stems can be cut short or left longer.