DIY Projects & Crafts

How to Press Roses to Preserve Their Beauty for Years to Come

This easy technique is a wonderful way to preserve the beauty of your blooms.

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Updated on February 14, 2024

If you love displaying arrangements of fragrant roses in your home, you're likely curious about ways to extend their lifespan. While changing the water, removing wilted petals, and trimming the stems are all ways to make your roses last longer, eventually they will die. To preserve these blooms for longer, consider pressing them, which will maintain their beauty for years to come.

There are several ways to do press flowers; some techniques include drying, while others involve coating them in resin. One of our favorite methods for pressing roses, however, is pressing them with heavy books. It's so simple and will turn your favorite flowers into beautiful keepsakes.

What You'll Need

Materials

Flowers
Large book
Weight
Parchment paper

Instructions

Gather your roses:

For beautiful pressed roses, gather clean flowers free of spots or blemishes. Try collecting them on a sunny day when they are not wet from rain or dew, or pull a few out of a new arrangement.
Place the flower inside a heavy book:

Place the flower face down in a heavy book lined with parchment paper.
Close the book:

Close the book, weigh it down, and leave it undisturbed for 7 to 10 days. Make sure all the moisture is gone and your flower is papery before you carefully remove it from the book.