Pressing Ahead

Photos and text by Joan Carlin
THE OREGONIAN

Pressing plants is a principal tool of botanists, but you don't have to be a scientist to appreciate this simple technique. And you don't need fancy tools.

Lewis and Clark compiled their herbarium for study, but your collection of pressed plants could be put to other uses: Tuck dried specimens in a garden diary; mount and frame pages of pressed flowers to hang indoors; or make hand-crafted cards or stationery. Cut and dried — and easy.

Quick, before another season passes, pick a basket of blossoms and leaves to press. Here's how:

MATERIALS

• Plastic bags to keep specimens fresh until ready to press
• Phone books or a plant press
• Waterproof pen, tweezers
• Heavy white paper, preferably acid-free 100 percent rag content
• Mounting medium, any of the following: archival or craft glue (a clear Elmer's glue), paper tape, plastic (not rubber) cement, needle and thread

COLLECTING

Start in your own back yard. Select diverse shapes, sizes and colors of plants. Or press flowers from floral arrangements before they wilt.

Other press-worthy items: leaves, stems, blades of grass, twigs or catkins. Botanists may press the entire plant, roots and all. But you can press just a part.

Gather during dry weather for faster pressing and to prevent mold. In general, the faster a plant dries, the better it retains color. Most plants fade, some more than others. Regardless, they will be beautiful.

Record location, date and notes on habitat.

Never harvest outside your property without permission; plants in public parks, state parks, along roadsides and in public gardens may sometimes be collected with a permit. National parks do not allow collecting.

PRESSING

Tools include a plant press, or simply a thick book.

A plant press isn't hard to make.
Start with two pieces of quarter-inch plywood. Begin stacking on one piece of the wood: a piece of corrugated cardboard; plant specimen tucked in newspaper, paper towels, felt or thick blotter paper; a piece of corrugated cardboard. Continue to layer specimens in this way. When finished, place other piece of plywood on top and secure tightly with cord.

A telephone book or dictionary makes a fine plant press.
Sandwich plants between pieces of newspaper or paper towel and place one per page in the book. Close and weigh down with other books.

Other pressing tips:

• Press thick plants between foam rubber.
• Space blossoms and leaves so they don't touch if possible.
• Add a layer of waxed paper if blooms are especially moist.
• Before covering, gently press plant in place with fingertips. Some blossoms flatten easier if allowed to wilt for a few hours.
• Break apart petals of thick flowers like roses and dry individually. "Reassemble" dried petals when you mount on paper.
• Let plants dry undisturbed for a couple of weeks. Then, open press or book slowly.
• If plants stick to pages, they probably need more time to dry. They will be fragile, so handle with care. Tweezers might come in handy.

MOUNTING

While botanists traditionally mount one specimen from one location per sheet of paper, try any design that appeals to you. Some ideas: Group two or more small specimens; make "bouquets" by crossing stems of several blossoms and gluing on a little bow where they intersect; or overlap multiple stemless flowers into a wreath shape. Write collecting information in the corner.

Fasten specimens to heavy white paper in any of the following ways:

• Archival glue is best for mounting, but craft glue also can be used. Use sparingly. For papery flowers, dab lightly where petals overlap and on the backs of stems and leaves. For thicker plants, dot glue and position.
• Cut paper tape or paper into narrow strips and place across stems, ends and glue. Do not use Scotch tape or other plastic tapes, because they become brittle over time.
• Fasten with plastic cement, weigh down and allow several hours to set. Do not stack until thoroughly dry.
• Sew on thick specimens with strong white thread.

STORING

If you don't frame pages, store specimens in plastic bags to protect. Place in insect-proof containers — steel cabinets are ideal.

SOURCE: "The Pressed Plant," by Andrea DiNoto and David Winter (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1999)

THE LEGACY GROWS reproduced courtesy of the Oregonian.
These stories originally ran May 24, 2001
© 2001 The Oregonian
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