How to Choose a Flower Press | Blue Brontide

1. Start with what you want to press

The most useful question is not “Which design do I like best?” — tempting though that may be. It is “What will I collect most often?”

For daisies, violas, individual petals, small leaves and other compact finds, a small or square press gives you plenty of usable space without feeling oversized. The Small Wooden Flower Press, Folksy Floral and Square Wooden Flower Press are all well suited to these everyday treasures.

If you want one press to handle a broader mix of garden flowers, leaves and holiday finds, a medium format is the easiest all-round choice. Delicate Daisy, Daisy Chain and the Medium Wooden Flower Press each measure 17.3 × 22.2cm across the press, giving you more flexibility when arranging specimens.

For large flower heads, bigger leaves, several specimens at once or a project shared between siblings, choose the Large Wooden Flower Press. Its 22.2 × 31.5cm format offers the most room in the collection and is the best Blue Brontide press for family flower pressing.

If the stem is part of the story, choose the Flower & Stem Press — Scandi. At 29.5cm long, its slender proportions are made for whole-stem flowers, grasses, ferns and other long botanical shapes that may need to be trimmed to fit a square press.

Not sure which blooms are easiest to begin with? Our Bloom Guide to the best UK flowers for flower pressing is a useful companion to this guide.

2. Decide whether your flower press will travel

Will most of your pressing happen at the kitchen table, or do you picture taking the press into the garden, woodland or countryside?

For home use, any shape can work: let the size of your specimens lead the decision. For outdoor adventures, a dedicated flower press with straps is easier to carry. The organic hemp straps help keep the press together while you walk and make it simpler for a grown-up or older child to transport.

Choose the strapped Folksy Floral for a compact 17cm square format, the strapped Daisy Chain for the smallest portable option, or the strapped Delicate Daisy when you want the extra room of a medium press.

A useful tip: you do not need to pick every flower you admire. Fallen petals and leaves, flowers from your own garden and specimens collected with permission can all become meaningful keepsakes.

3. Pick the design that suits its future home

Once you know the right size and format, the design can make the final decision delightfully easy.

• Folksy Floral has a warm, storybook character and makes a distinctive christening, birthday or wedding gift.
• Delicate Daisy is a gentle, timeless choice with an alabaster-painted finish.
• Daisy Chain feels bright and playful for a budding botanist.
• Medium features a lilies design on a duck-egg-blue ground.
• Scandi, created in collaboration with British designer Nicolette Tabram, suits a more graphic, design-conscious style.
• Large features wild meadow flowers and has the scale to become a shared family press.

Because the artwork is applied by hand, a Blue Brontide flower press is not just equipment to store in a cupboard. It can live on a shelf or desk as part of the room — ready for the next walk, bloom or small discovery.

4. Choose for the person who will use it

The best flower press for a beginner

A medium press is the safest all-round recommendation for a beginner. It provides more arranging room than a compact square press but is still easy to handle and store. Choose between Delicate Daisy, Daisy Chain or the Medium Wooden Flower Press according to the recipient’s style.

If the beginner mainly wants to press small garden flowers or make cards and bookmarks, the Small or Square press may be all they need.

The best flower press for a child

Blue Brontide flower presses are recommended for ages six and over because they contain small parts. A compact press can be easier for a child to work around, while a medium or large press gives siblings more space to arrange a shared collection. Adult supervision is important when collecting plants and using the press hardware.

For a gift, think beyond age alone. A portable strapped press suits an enthusiastic explorer; a medium press gives a new nature-lover room to experiment; and a large press turns flower pressing into an activity for the whole family.

The best flower press for an adult

For botanical art, journalling, wedding-flower keepsakes or preserving specimens from a special garden, choose according to the finished composition. The Flower & Stem Press is helpful when the line of the stem matters. The Scandi press offers a broad working area, while the Large press gives maximum flexibility for ambitious arrangements.

If you are still between two sizes or styles, use our guide to choosing the right flower press to compare the options by size and use.

What comes with a Blue Brontide flower press?

The individual product listings state that each kit includes six layers of recycled, acid-free blotting paper and recycled card, plus stainless-steel bolts, nuts, wing nuts and washers to create even pressure. Instructions are included, so the recipient can begin without having to assemble a pressing kit from separate supplies.

The presses are made from FSC-certified, sustainably sourced solid oak and finished with eco-friendly water-based paints. They arrive in recycled cardboard packaging. Many listings also include a packet of wildflower seeds for UK orders; check the chosen product page for the exact contents of your kit.

How much can you press at once?

Six drying layers let you arrange specimens on more than one level, but capacity depends on the size and thickness of what you collect. Leave space between flowers rather than crowding the paper, and avoid mixing very thick, moisture-heavy specimens with fine petals on the same layer. Flat flowers and leaves are the simplest place to begin.

Drying time also varies considerably from one flower to another. For a detailed breakdown of timings, methods and how to tell when each bloom is ready, read our guide to how long to press flowers.

For best results, collect dry, fresh-looking specimens and arrange them soon after picking. The Royal Horticultural Society advises allowing around one to two weeks for pressed flowers and leaves, depending on the method and material. See the RHS activity on making botanical bookmarks for a useful timing reference.

Collect flowers thoughtfully

The kindest collection is a small one. Take only what you need, leave plenty for wildlife and other people, and avoid rare or protected plants. Collect from your own garden where possible, or ask the landowner before taking material elsewhere. Never uproot a wild plant without permission.

Some wild plants are legally protected from picking, uprooting or destruction. If you are unsure, leave the plant where it is and enjoy it in place. The UK Government’s guidance on wild plants and protected species is a helpful starting point.

Children should always collect with adult supervision, avoid polluted areas and wash their hands after handling unknown plants.

Which Blue Brontide flower press should I choose?

Choose the Small, Folksy Floral or Square press for compact flowers and simple craft projects. Choose a 17.3 × 22.2cm medium design for the most versatile first press. Choose Scandi when you want a wider pressing area and graphic design. Choose Large for the biggest specimens, several blooms or family projects. Choose the Flower & Stem Press for long botanical shapes, and choose a with-straps design when portability matters.

There is no single “best” flower press for everyone. The right one is the press that fits the things you notice — the tiny daisy at the lawn’s edge, the fern from a woodland walk, the flower saved from a meaningful day — and makes you want to preserve them.

For a quick side-by-side route to the right size, see our flower press buying guide, or browse the complete wooden flower press collection.