When I was little, a friend gave me a book about fairies.
It was lavishly illustrated, with tiny rituals and simple recipes tucked into the pages. I remember it had gentle prompts to encourage me to go outside, notice what’s blooming, gather a few flowers, play and follow where my curiosity would lead me for the day.
I grew up in Skokie, Illinois, where every spring felt like magic after a long and dreary winter. The earth would warm again, and there was always that possibility of new beginnings as I watched life return to my grandmother’s garden.
As a child, every bloom felt like a bit of fairy magic. I still feel that way when I watch a seed germinate, sprout, and then transform into something that at times will tower over me in the garden.
As a grown-up, botany has expanded my understanding of how things grow; however, I still hold onto that piece of childhood magic.
Today, pressing flowers and creating with them is a reminder of life's ever-changing seasons and the ephemerality of our human experience.
When I work on a piece, each bloom becomes a time capsule, often reminding me of the memories of that specific day I collected the flowers from my garden or a local farm.
Working with flowers in this way allows us to slow down.
As we live in this age of micro-attention, where our perception of the world and information sharing is on hyper speed, the garden is a place that can bring us back to the sense of slowing down and childhood play.
Today, the garden reminds me of that part of myself that loved to head outdoors with the rising sun. The feeling of morning dew on the leaves, and the day full of possibility, like a road stretching out in front of me.
What will each day bring?
Flowers, and the gentle art of modern floral pressing, doesn't act like AI. You can't rush the process; whether you're growing flowers, pressing flowers, or reconstructing flowers, it's quiet work. Slow work. Gentle work.
The kind of work that steadies your breath without you realizing it.
And here’s the beautiful part of pressing flowers: you don’t need armfuls of flowers.
A small basket can easily fill an entire press.
Now, if you’re new to growing flowers to press, the possibilities of what to grow can seem endless.
Not all flowers press well, like Magnolias for example.
Also, not all flowers that press well, are easy to grow.
So we’ve taken a bit of the initial guesswork out and have listed our top 5 non-fussy flowers that are both easy to grow + press.
A quick note on growing conditions:
We garden in Northern California (zone 9B), so what’s “easy” for us might look a little different in another climate. The flowers that love our mountain valley behave differently even just a few miles toward the coast.
Every garden also has its own personality.
If you can, test your soil and check your growing zone—that combo will tell you a lot. Still, the flowers below are pretty adaptable and tend to do well in most mild-to-moderate winter climates.
🌿 Spring Favorites for Easy Pressing
Snow Crocus
One of the first signs of spring. Small, sweet, and surprisingly sturdy in the press. Plant your corms in pots in the fall and gently keep them moist over winter. Keep them in a protected area like a cold frame or a sunny window indoors on the coldest days. Though they are fairly frost tolerant, I personally have never left them overwinter in the ground outside. But when they start blooming in the greenhouse on a cold, wintry day, you'll feel delighted at the sight of their little buds in January.
Pansies
A classic for a reason. Flat-faced blooms that press beautifully and hold their color. Pansies are perennials that are cold tolerant and prefer to be planted where they won't have too much sun over the summer. They also don't like wet feet, so avoid overwatering them to keep them happy. The more you cut, the more they grow.
Cornflower
Cornflowers are beautiful, hardy annuals that are fast-growing and give off lots of blooms. Direct sow in your garden in the fall or early spring for an interesting variety. They also make for a very unique looking dried flower when hung upside down; however, they need to be harvested before they've gone over too much to seed so they don't lose their petals during the drying process.
Anemones
With bold centers and papery petals, anemones can be pressed either whole or deconstructed to create stunning details in your artwork. If you're a complete beginner, we recommend getting starts into your garden in late fall or early spring. They are cold hardy and will require some protection in temperatures below 30°F. If you plant them in containers, they can be moved indoors into a potting shed or cold garage for protection or covered by frost cloth if they're in raised beds or in the ground.
Linaria
Linaria, or mini snapdragons, are cold hardy and can be sown in the fall. They will put on growth over winter and start blooming sometimes even as early as January in moderate climates. They're easy to press and make for beautiful, airy elements in your artwork. These are my personal favorite! So, so easy to grow, and their little faces are a delight to see on a cold February day.
*Image note: A student created this work the same weekend I was reminiscing about my childhood book on fairies. The universe works in magical ways.
If you’re just beginning, start with one or two of these and let yourself play.
I've come to appreciate that it truly takes time to create a new relationship with each flower.
Not just in the studio, but also in the garden.
If you start small, you'll have fewer problems during your growing season with the inevitable challenges of maintaining so many different flowers.
There is no pressure to grow everything at once, though it can be incredibly tempting during spring when your local nursery or feed store is bursting with new blooms.
My suggestion is to think about the kind of art you are planning to create and build your garden around what you not only plan to press but will also enjoy and love to see growing.
Make a plan for where you plan to place your plants based on soil, light, and temperature, and be open to experimenting as well. The garden is a place of joy, play, and curiosity; lead with that, and your heart will always feel full.
If you’d like to learn more about pressing and creating with your pressed flowers, come join us for class.
We have monthly classes at Jiaren Cafe in Santa Clara where we show you how to create your own beautiful botanical art.
Until then, happy growing, happy pressing, and may your pockets always smell faintly of flowers. 🌸
With love,
Charina 🌿
