Pressed Flowers By Preserved Gardens

Pressed Flower Information
Flower Examples
Foliage Examples
Grass Examples
Herb Examples
Natural Materials
Glue and Seal Pressed Flowers
About Matting
Framing Pressed Flower Pictures
Saving Funeral Flowers
Shipping Fresh Flowers
Book Reviews

Flower Preparation
Conditioning Fresh Flowers
Pressing Simple Flowers
Press Full Open Roses
Fruit and Vegetable Preparation
Dying Flowers and Foliage
Preserve Foliage with Glycerin

Projects
Pressed Flower Magnets
Pressed Flower Book Box
Pressed Flower Luminaries
Marbleized Papers
Sticker Glue
Examples of my Work

Using Flower Dye to Compensate for Fading

I'd recommend treating ferns and foliage that are prone to fading. Use a weak solution of floral absorption dye before pressing. This is especially helpful if you make sun catchers or use flowers that fade quickly.

Before pressing,  properly condition your ferns, foliage, and flowers  as usual, but add the dye to the warm water solution.  Because you'll be pressing the botanical materials, make the dye solution weaker than recommended.

Put the freshly cut stems in the water with the dye and let them sit a few hours before pressing. They come out great and no more worries about fading.

Even Roses Maintain a Natural Look When Dyed Properly

Some flowers, such as Roses, require a little more preparation.

These roses were all the same white before dying. The pink and purple roses were treated for about a day.

Process:
1. Strip off leaves.
2. Prepare dye solution of:
   - Very warm water
   - Cut flower preservative (Chrysal or Floralife)
   - Design Master "absorbit" systemic dye. (or Koch)
3. Pour 2" of Floralife's Quick Dip Instant Hydration Pretreatment into a plastic cup.
4. Cut off several inches of stem under water, then dip stems ends in hydration solution.
5. Immediately place in the warm dye/preservative solution.

Remember, flowers press darker so take them out of the dye when they're lighter than you'd like.

The dye is absorbed by the stem and leaves too, which can produce some interesting effects.

The absorption dyes from Koch are the very best in my opinion, and they offer a great selection of over a hundred colors including black. They deliver very quickly; I highly recommend them.

Design Master has floral absorption dyes in basic colors and are generally available from any wholesale florist or floral supply dealer if you just can't wait. I couldn't wait with the white roses shown above, so I went with what I had.

Koch dyes are more expensive than Design Master dyes, but worth it.