You find a perfect bloom. Maybe it's a peony from your wedding bouquet or just a random, strikingly blue cornflower from a weekend hike. You want to keep it forever. So, you stick it in a heavy book, wait a day, and realize it’s still just a wet, slightly bruised mess.
How long does it take to press flowers? Honestly, if you’re doing it the old-fashioned way, you’re looking at two to four weeks.
That’s the short answer. But the real answer? It depends on the humidity in your house, the thickness of the petals, and whether you’re willing to use a little "cheat code" like a microwave or a dedicated flower press. If you rush it, you get mold. If you forget about it for six months, you might end up with something so brittle it turns to dust the moment you touch it.
Why the waiting game is so long
Plants are mostly water. When you press a flower, you aren't just squishing it flat; you are embarking on a high-stakes evaporation mission. You have to pull every molecule of moisture out of those cells while keeping the structural integrity of the bloom intact.
Two weeks is usually the minimum for thin, delicate things like pansies or Queen Anne’s Lace. For something beefier, like a rose or a succulent (which, honestly, are nightmares to press), you might be staring at your bookshelf for a full month before they’re truly "done."
Professional preservationists, like the folks at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, have been doing this for centuries. They don’t just shove a flower in a book and walk away. They understand that the first 48 hours are the most critical. This is when the most moisture leaves the plant. If that moisture has nowhere to go because you used glossy magazine paper instead of absorbent blotting paper, the flower will literally stew in its own juices. It turns brown. It smells like old salad. It’s gross.
The gear matters more than the time
People think the "press" is the important part. It's not. The paper is the hero.
If you use paper towels with those little quilted patterns, guess what? Your flower is going to have a paper towel pattern embossed on its petals. Forever. Most experts recommend acid-free blotting paper or even just plain, unprinted newsprint. Avoid parchment paper; it’s designed to be non-stick and moisture-resistant, which is the exact opposite of what you want here. You want a thirsty material.
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How long does it take to press flowers using different methods?
Not everyone has a month. If you’re a bride trying to save a bouquet before it wilts, or a hobbyist with zero patience, you have options. But each one changes the "look" of the final product.
The Classic Book Method (2–4 Weeks)
This is the "set it and forget it" route. You need a heavy book—think a vintage dictionary or a massive art history tome. You layer your flowers between blotting paper, tuck them into the pages, and then stack more weight on top. Don't just use the book's weight. Add a few bricks or a heavy toolbox.
Check them after a week. Don’t peel the flower off the paper yet! Just feel the paper. Is it damp? If so, carefully swap it for fresh, dry paper. This "wicking" process speeds things up and keeps colors vibrant. A rose might take 25 days. A violet might be crispy in 10.
The Wooden Flower Press (2–3 Weeks)
A real press uses bolts and wingnuts. This is better than a book because you can tighten it as the flower shrinks. When the water leaves the plant, the plant gets thinner. In a book, the pressure stays the same, but in a bolt-style press, you can give those wingnuts a turn every few days to keep the pressure "active." This usually shaves a few days off the timeline compared to a static book.
The Microwave Method (Minutes, plus a day)
You can actually "flash-dry" flowers in a microwave. You need two ceramic tiles and some rubber bands. You sandwich the flower and paper between the tiles, zap it in 30-second bursts, and... boom. Dry.
However, there’s a catch.
Microwaved flowers often look a bit "cooked." The colors can shift strangely—pinks might turn orange, or whites might turn yellow. Usually, you microwave them until they are about 80% dry, then let them sit in a book for 24 hours to finish off. Total time? About one day.
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The Ironing Method (15 Minutes)
This is the riskiest. You put the flower between two pieces of paper and press a dry iron (no steam!) on it for low heat. It’s fast. It’s also very easy to scorch the petals. Use this for thin leaves or very flat flowers like cosmos. Anything thick will just turn into a soggy pancake.
The variables that ruin everything
You can’t just follow a calendar. Nature doesn't care about your schedule.
If you live in New Orleans or Seattle, the ambient humidity in your house is going to fight you. Your flowers will take 30% longer to dry than someone’s flowers in a bone-dry apartment in Phoenix. If it's a humid summer, you might want to keep your flower press near an air conditioning vent or a dehumidifier.
Then there’s the "freshness" factor.
If you wait until the flower is already drooping and starting to turn brown at the edges, pressing it won't save it. It’ll just be a flat, brown flower. The best time to pick flowers for pressing is in the morning, right after the dew has evaporated but before the heat of the sun has stressed the plant. You want the cells to be full of turgor pressure—basically, "hydrated and happy"—before you start the drying process.
Thick vs. Thin: A reality check
Let's talk about the "impossible" flowers.
Orchids. Lilies. Proteas.
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These are high-moisture, thick-bodied flowers. If you try to press a whole lily, it will mold. Period. To press these, you have to perform "surgery." You take the flower apart. You press the petals individually. You press the stem separately. Then, once everything is dry, you glue them back together like a puzzle.
It sounds like a lot of work. It is. But if you're asking "how long does it take to press flowers" because you have a specific sentimental bloom in mind, you need to know that a "whole" thick flower might never dry properly in a standard press. It’ll just turn into a black, leathery smudge.
Is it actually done? The "Touch Test"
How do you know when to stop?
The biggest mistake beginners make is taking the flowers out too early. They feel "dry-ish," so they stick them in a frame. A week later, there’s a fog of condensation inside the glass. That’s the remaining moisture escaping. And where there is moisture and trapped air, there is mold.
Your flower should feel like fine tissue paper. It should be stiff. If there is any "give" or flexibility in the petals, it’s not done. If it feels cool to the touch, it might still have internal moisture.
Preservation after the press
Once the 2–4 weeks are up, you aren't quite finished. Light is the enemy. Even the most perfectly pressed flower will fade to a dull beige if you hang it in a sunny window.
Museums use UV-filtering glass. You can buy this at most framing shops, and it’s worth the extra few bucks. Also, consider the glue. Standard school glue has a high water content. If you use too much to mount your flowers, you’ll re-hydrate the petals and cause them to wrinkle. A tiny dot of acid-free PVA glue or even a smear of a glue stick is usually plenty.
Actionable steps for your first press
If you're starting today, don't just grab a rose and a dictionary. Do this instead:
- Pick a "test" flower: Grab a weed from the yard—something flat like a buttercup or a clover.
- Source the right paper: Avoid tissues (they're too soft) and cardboard (the ridges will leave marks). Use plain printer paper if you have nothing else, but blotting paper is the gold standard.
- The First 48 Rule: Tighten your press or add more weight after the first two days. This is when the most "shrinkage" happens.
- Wait at least 21 days: Mark it on your calendar. Don't even peek. Every time you open the press to look, you disturb the petals and let in humid air.
- Seal it fast: Once they are out and you’ve confirmed they are "tissue paper" dry, get them under glass.
Pressing flowers is a lesson in patience. It’s one of the few things in the modern world that you can’t really "life-hack" without losing quality. Give it the three weeks it deserves. Your future self, looking at those vibrant, preserved colors five years from now, will be glad you didn't rush the process.