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To Press an Open Rose

I microwave full roses once to start them off, then let them sit a few minutes to cool completely, change the paper and microwave a second time. Then I change the paper again and put the roses in a press in the refrigerator to finish drying, changing the papers daily for the first couple of days. I use a special flower press, but you can get by without it by following the instructions below.

Red is a hard color to keep in Roses. Start with a dark orangish-red Rose to end up with a nicely colored pressed red Rose.  There's a new full florist variety called "Terracotta" that gives you a very nice red. Also, I grow an easier shrub Rose in my garden called "Robin Hood" that's not full, stays bright red and holds color for a long time, at least 13 years, so far!

Prepare the Rose

• Cut the stem (at least an inch or two) while under water to give it a fresh cut, then put it in a vase or something with very warm (not hot) water and floral preservative. (Use sugar if you don't have the preservative.) This will hydrate the Rose and feed it so it's in the best possible condition for pressing. Let it sit like that for an hour or two.

• Now that your Rose has been conditioned it should look nice and fresh, it's probably opened up a little more or maybe even a lot more. If so, this is a good sign. Always try to avoid bruising the petals; if necessary you may want to remove a couple of the outer petals depending on how they look.

• Pour a little vinegar in a cup, take it to the sink and dip the flower head in it. Yes it sounds weird, but it will help preserve the pink pigments in the Rose. Just submerse it, take it out and shake it off gently.

• Place the stems back in the preservative water to sit until the petals dry, hopefully in 20 to 30 minutes. You can pat it gently with paper towel or tissue to speed this part up (bad smell.)

• While waiting for the Rose to dry, prepare your materials... (If you prefer, you can stop now and leave the rose out of the water at this point. Just place it in the plastic bag or Tupperware and put it in the refrigerator to press later.)

• If you have coffee filters, fold them in half and cut a circle out of the middle, a little larger than a quarter. If you don't have coffee filters, use regular printer paper or what ever you have, (as long as there's no printing on it) and cut the same as you would the coffee filters. Then cut the paper once, from the outer edge to the hole in the middle so that it's easier to work with.

• When the Rose is dry, cut the flower off right at the base of the stem just before you press it, removing the calyx. (The calyx is the green part on the top of the stem that gets fat, right before the petals.)

Layering the Rose in the Press

• Layer as follows:
  - cardboard
  - thick layer of paper towels
  - sheet of regular paper

• Prepare Rose for pressing as follows:

• - Rose facing upward... gently work the petals open and into the position that you want the flower to be pressed.

• - Now you need your coffee filters or papers with the holes, gently lift the upper 2/3 of the petals and place a couple papers/filters on the remaining 1/3 with the other petals sticking out from the hole in the paper.

• - Lay the middle third of the petals on the paper that you just put down, so the sheet is between the petals all around.

• - Place a couple more papers/filters on those petals, with the top third of the petals sticking out of that hole.

• - Lay down the remaining petals.
  - sheet of regular paper
  - thick layer of paper towels
  - cardboard

• Now you have your rose still intact, but pressing in three layers. Use rubber bands or tie the whole bundle tight, so it's pressing, but air can still circulate through the paper and cardboard.

• Put your press with the Rose in it, into the refrigerator. Don't seal it in a plastic bag or anything... it needs to breathe.

• Change your paper towels daily for a couple of days, always replacing in the refrigerator. Your Rose should be done in about 2 weeks.

When completely dry, seal the pressed Rose by spraying Krylon sealant with UV protection on both the back and front. You can get it in a spray can at an art supplier, craft store, or some other place that sells spray paint.