{"id":27409,"date":"2023-10-18T11:46:25","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T09:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/b1e206c2-929d-4ba6-9a4f-23df5ab96cf0"},"modified":"2023-10-18T15:35:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T13:35:10","slug":"the-beauty-of-pressing-flowers","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/the-beauty-of-pressing-flowers\/","title":{"rendered":"The beauty of pressing flowers"},"content":{"rendered":"

JamJar Flowers is Melissa Richardson and Amy Ireland’s pressed flower company which creates pressed flowers that are not only beautiful works of art, but a wonderful way of preserving a favourite plant, a bouquet or even an entire garden. Words Natasha Goodfellow photographs Andrew Montgomery <\/em> <\/p>

By Daisy Bowie-Sell\n <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 18 October 2023 at 09:46 AM<\/p>

\n\n
Melissa Richardson picks up a fallen cosmos<\/a> bud in her south London garden, and pops it into a vase to prolong its life. Her love of flowers<\/a> and their preservation is what led her, after 27 years of running a model agency, to start JamJar Flowers<\/a> in 2009. \u201cPeople were always sending flowers for the models and, since we didn\u2019t have enough vases, they\u2019d all sit about dying,\u201d says Melissa. \u201cThat depressed me.\u201d Her idea \u2013 to deliver seasonal bouquets in vases or jam jars (\u2018because that\u2019s what we put our pickings in when we were kids\u201d) \u2013 caught on and business flourished until, in 2014, a commission from Mulberry for a show invitation using pressed flowers<\/a> sparked a new direction.<\/p>
Pressed flower panels sit alongside fresh cut flowers in Melissa and Amy\u2019s studio. The old cigar press on the left, filled with test tubes, is one of their favourite ways to display flowers. – \u00a9 Andrew Montgomery<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\u201cWe said yes immediately, even though neither of us had ever pressed flowers professionally before,\u201d says Amy Ireland who had by then joined Melissa. Two frantic weeks followed as they researched the process and began pressing. \u201cWe learnt the hard way,\u201d says Amy. \u201cWe\u2019d been using ammi, which was pressing beautifully and then all of a sudden, supplies dried up and we had to try dill instead, which was a disaster.\u201d Luckily, more ammi was found, Mulberry was happy \u2013 and Melissa and Amy were hooked.<\/p>
$\"A$
A recently pressed cosmos awaits mounting. With their delicate foliage and colourful flowers, cosmos make particularly strong candidates for pressing. – \u00a9 Andrew Montgomery<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Pressing$
Flowers for pressing should be as fresh as possible and dry (not dewy). They should be left inside the press for four to six weeks until the paper and the flowers are perfectly dry. – \u00a9 Andrew Montgomery<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Amy$
Amy places a cosmos in the press, carefully positioning it between two pieces of blotting paper. Leaving space around the flower helps the paper to draw out moisture. – \u00a9 Andrew Montgomery<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"An$
Alongside pressed flowers, JamJar Edit offers a range of desirable products, including flower paperweights and this handmade oak veneer flower press. – \u00a9 Andrew Montgomery<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>