Pressing Wildflowers

I adore wildflowers. There’s something utterly charming and old-fashioned about their dainty blooms, and they really do deserve to be celebrated. Within the category of ‘wildflowers’ are many plants that have become associated with the negative term of ‘weeds’ over the years; some of the most stunning wild flowers such as daisies, dandelions and buttercups have sadly fallen under this description by more traditional gardeners who seek ‘perfection' in their gardens and see anything that hasn’t been cultivated and planted by them as unwanted. Weeds are very welcome in the Meadow and Thyme garden - in fact I have a completely wild area dedicated to them, and the great news is that wildflowers tend to press beautifully!

Wildflowers are often characterised by their simple forms, which means they aren’t too ‘juicy’ and have a low moisture cotent, lending themselves perfectly to flower pressing. They also often have stunning features - flowing seed heads of wild grasses, curving stems of buttercups, fabulous tendrils on vetch - resulting in really interesting pressings.

If you have a garden, I’d encourage you to let the wild flowers grow - they are so important for our wildlife, with many species relying on a particular type of wildflower. They are also completely gorgeous and brilliant for filling your flower press with. It’s also possible to forage for wildflowers, but if you do, please ensure you don’t trespass, never pick protected species or plants that you don’t recognise (there’s a risk they could sting or burn you), and make sure you only pick one flower for every twenty that are in bloom, so that the majority are left for our wonderful wildlife.