Pressing orchids takes more patience and preparation than pressing most flowers. Their thick, fleshy petals and moisture-rich centers hold water that can cause browning or mold if not managed carefully. With the right technique, though, you can press orchids into beautifully preserved specimens that keep their shape and color for years.
Why Orchids Are Harder to Press
Most popular orchid varieties have succulent-like features: thick cell walls, waxy cuticles, and fleshy leaves and petals that store significant amounts of water. The lip (the large, distinctive lower petal) is often the thickest part of the bloom and the slowest to dry. If moisture lingers too long, the petals turn brown, develop mold, or stick permanently to whatever paper you’re using.
This means you can’t just tuck an orchid into a heavy book and forget about it for a month. Successful orchid pressing requires absorbent materials, frequent paper changes, and sometimes a bit of prep work on the flower itself before it goes into the press.
What You’ll Need
- Blotting paper or acid-free absorbent paper. Blotting paper made from cellulose, cotton, or linen is the best choice. It pulls moisture away from petals quickly and won’t stick to delicate tissue. Standard acid-free printing paper also works and won’t yellow your flowers over time. Avoid wax paper completely. It doesn’t absorb moisture and the coating can bond to petals, tearing them when you try to remove the flower.
- Corrugated cardboard. Place sheets of cardboard between layers to promote airflow and speed drying.
- A flower press or heavy books. A dedicated screw-down press gives you the most even pressure. Two large hardcover books with a brick or weight on top works fine too.
- A sharp knife or scalpel. For slicing thick parts of the orchid before pressing.
- Tissues or paper towels. Useful for blotting excess moisture from freshly cut surfaces.
Preparing the Orchid
Pick orchids that are freshly opened and free of brown spots or bruising. Flowers that are already wilting lose color during pressing and tend to wrinkle unevenly. If you’re cutting from a stem, do it in the morning after any dew has evaporated but before the heat of the day.
The key preparation step for orchids is thinning the fleshy parts. The lip and the column (the central reproductive structure) are often so thick that they won’t dry flat without intervention. Use a sharp blade to carefully slice the lip in half horizontally, creating a thinner profile. You can also slice the back of the column to reduce bulk. Gently blot the cut surfaces with a tissue to remove any sap or moisture before placing the flower in the press.
If you want a face-on pressed orchid (showing the front of the bloom), gently flatten the petals into position on your first sheet of blotting paper before adding the top layer. Orchid petals naturally curve inward, so you may need to coax them outward with your fingertip or a small brush. For a side profile, position the flower accordingly and let the natural shape guide you.
The Pressing Process
Build your press in layers: a sheet of cardboard, then blotting paper, then the orchid, then another sheet of blotting paper, then cardboard again. You can press multiple flowers in one stack as long as each has its own paper-and-cardboard sandwich. Apply firm, even pressure with your press or weights.
Here’s where orchids diverge from simpler flowers like daisies or pansies. For the first week, change the blotting paper every day. The thick orchid tissue releases a surprising amount of moisture in the early days, and damp paper sitting against petals is the fastest route to mold and discoloration. After the first week, you can switch to changing the paper every two to three days.
Total drying time depends on the orchid variety and your environment. Thin-petaled orchids like certain Oncidium species may dry in one to two weeks. Thicker varieties like Cattleyas or Phalaenopsis can take three to four weeks. The flower is fully pressed when it feels papery and completely rigid, with no cool or soft spots when you touch it. If any part still feels slightly pliable, give it more time. Removing it too early risks reabsorbing humidity from the air and curling.
Using Silica Gel for Faster Results
If you want to speed things up or reduce the risk of mold, you can use silica gel as a drying aid. This works differently from the classic silica gel method for preserving 3D flower shapes. Instead of burying the orchid upright in a container, you create a flat pressing setup with silica gel replacing or supplementing your blotting paper.
Pour a layer of silica gel about 1.5 inches thick into a flat, airtight container. Place a sheet of thin paper on top (to prevent gel beads from embedding in petals), then your orchid positioned flat, then another sheet of paper, and another inch of silica gel. Seal the container. The gel pulls moisture aggressively, often cutting drying time in half. Check after five to seven days. The tradeoff is that you get less control over flattening pressure, so the results may not be quite as uniformly flat as a traditional press.
Keeping Color During Drying
Orchids lose color primarily when they dry too slowly. The longer moisture sits in the cells, the more pigment breaks down. Everything about the process should aim at removing water as quickly as possible while keeping the flower flat.
Place your press in a warm, dry room with good air circulation. Avoid basements, bathrooms, or anywhere with fluctuating humidity. Some people set the press near a dehumidifier or in a room with a fan running. White and yellow orchids hold their color best. Deep purples and magentas often shift toward blue or brown. Pinks generally preserve well but may lighten a shade or two. There’s no reliable way to prevent all color change, but fast drying minimizes it significantly.
Mounting and Storing Pressed Orchids
Once your orchid is fully dry, handle it as little as possible. Pressed orchid petals are brittle, and the thinner parts can crack with even light bending. Use a thin spatula or palette knife to lift the flower from the blotting paper rather than peeling it up with your fingers.
For mounting onto paper, cards, or frames, white PVA glue (the same type used in school crafts) works well and won’t damage the tissue. Apply tiny dots of glue to the back of the flower with a toothpick, then press it gently onto your surface. Avoid spreading glue across the entire back, as excess adhesive can seep through thin petals and create visible shiny spots.
If you’re framing your pressed orchid, use UV-protective glass to slow color fading. Store any unmounted pressed orchids between sheets of acid-free paper in a dry location away from direct sunlight. Humidity is the enemy of pressed flowers long-term. In particularly humid climates, keeping a small silica gel packet in your storage container or sealing the back of frames helps prevent the orchid from reabsorbing moisture and becoming soft or developing mold spots months later.