Spring showed up at my door today. Literally.
It’s Easter Sunday, and someone rang the bell. I opened it to find three little girls and their grandparents, handing out daffodils to the neighborhood. My dog Truffle immediately bolted outside and stole the show. The girls squealed as she gave everyone kisses. One of them, no older than four, held out four bright yellow daffodils and handed them to me with the kind of seriousness only a four-year-old can manage.
A tiny moment of stranger tenderness on a spring morning. The kind of thing that fades fast if you don’t hold onto it.
So I did what I do. I pressed them.
The daffodils that showed up at my door, on Easter Sunday.
Why press daffodils now?
If you’ve been curious about flower pressing, spring daffodils are a great place to start. They’re free (or close to it), they’re everywhere right now, and they dry quickly. They’re also trickier than they look, which makes them a good teacher. The trumpet and thick stem hold a lot of water, so you need to prep them before they go in the press.
Here’s exactly how I pressed mine today, step by step. I used the microwave method first to pull out the initial moisture, then transferred them to a traditional press to finish. If you don’t have a microwave press or a traditional press, check out my article on pressing flowers without special equipment. You can absolutely do this with stuff you already have at home.
Step 1: Prep the flowers
Daffodils have thick, hollow stems and a bulky trumpet in the center. If you press them as-is, you’ll get uneven pressure, trapped moisture, and browning. A few minutes of prep makes all the difference.
Remove the stamens (the parts inside the trumpet). Use small scissors or tweezers to pull out the stamens and pistil from inside the trumpet. This reduces bulk and helps the flower press flat. I press these little pieces separately because they make interesting textural elements later.
Using sharp-pointed scissors, carefully snip the stamens. Save them to press separately, if you wish.
Split the stem. Cut the stem in half lengthwise with small scissors. This removes the hollow air pocket and lets the stem dry evenly under pressure. You can also just cut the stem off entirely and press the flower head alone.
Reduce the bulk of the stem by cutting it lengthwise.
Cut the back of the flower head. Where the stem meets the flower, there’s a thick green base (the ovary). Trim it down or slice it in half so it sits flatter. This is usually the thickest part of the whole flower and the most common source of problems.
If you’d like to press just the flower head, cut the stem at the base of the flower.
Step 2: Microwave pressing (first round)
Arrange your prepped flowers on your pressing surface. If you have a microwave press, place them between the felt pads. If you’re using the DIY method from my equipment article, layer them between paper towels and cardboard.
Microwave in three rounds of 30 seconds at 80% power. Between each round, open the press and wipe away any moisture from the plates (or swap the paper towels if you’re using the DIY method). You’ll see the petals start to flatten and become slightly translucent.
After microwaving, use tweezers to gently adjust any petals that folded or stuck together. This is your last chance to arrange them before they go into the traditional press.
Gently arrange the folded petals with finely pointed tweezers.
Step 3: Transfer to a traditional press
After the microwave rounds, your daffodils will be partially dried and noticeably flatter. Transfer them to a traditional press between fresh, dry paper. If you don’t have a press, build a cardboard-and-copy-paper lasagna (layers of cardboard, copy paper, flower, copy paper, cardboard) and stack heavy books on top.
Arrange the flowers in the press.
Step 4: Wait (the hard part)
Set a reminder to change the paper after 2 days. The paper will have absorbed moisture and you want fresh, dry paper against the flowers. Check again after 5 days. By then, your daffodils should be fully dry, papery to the touch, and holding a warm golden yellow.
The yellow will deepen slightly as they dry, shifting from bright lemon to a warm gold. I find that aging actually makes pressed daffodils more beautiful, which is a nice bonus.
A note on spring pressing
Spring is the best time to start pressing if you’ve been thinking about it. The flowers are arriving before the growing season even begins: daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, cherry blossoms. They’re showing up in your yard, at the grocery store, or apparently on your doorstep courtesy of three very charming little girls.
You don’t need a fancy setup. You need a flower, some paper, and something heavy. That’s it.
What’s the first flower you ever pressed, or the one you’re most curious to try? Tell me in the comments.