A herbarium is a collection of labelled dried plant material
UK botanists and other scientists have historically collected plant specimens from around the world to catalogue and research back on their home territory. Herbaria boomed in Victorian times when explorers and plant collectors were constantly finding new species of interest. Not every plant could be brought home, but a sample of it could be dried and labelled.
The specimens themselves were often pressed in a large flower press to bring home, alongside collection data such as the name of the collector, date, location and environment. As many parts of the plant would be pressed as possible, such as roots, stem, leaves, flowers and seed pods, to aid with identification. Once identified, the family, genus and species were recorded. These samples are often unattractive with scruffy roots and faded foliage, but their information can still be useful today, for example as a basis for comparing new additions, or taking DNA for analysis. Collecting specimens is still scientifically useful, and the on-site pressing of flowers still goes on to this day.
The Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh has lots of interesting info about herbaria and how to prepare samples.
Herbarium specimens as art
Botanical art, houseplants and foliar wallpaper are all part of a longstanding trend for bringing nature into the home. Framed herbarium specimens, and prints of them, add another level of interest to a botanical home decor theme.
I’ve been pressing flowers for many years, but always on a small scale. For example, Violas are one of my favourite flowers to press due to their pretty faces in a wide range of colours. Normally it wouldn’t occur to me to press anything other than the flower itself whereas a scientist might press the whole plant, roots and all. They might not always be able to provide a pressing environment delicate enough to preserve the flower colour, but instead would make a note of its appearance at the time of collection.
So now I’m going for a compromise between the two. I’m going for true-to-life flower colours wherever possible, but no messy roots! So now in my pressed flower collection at daisyshop.co.uk you might be seeing a few more attached stems and leaves on show. I’m not currently producing finished herbarium specimens, but you might find enough plant material in my shop to make your own.
Collection data and mass production
I’ve been noticing recently that a large proportion of pressed flowers on sale online have been mass produced abroad. A tell-tale sign is when you see the same pack of flowers being offered by several different shops. These packs are sealed in plastic with a silica preservation sachet and have often been flown over by resellers. I don’t blame people for buying them in. I’m not even sure there are enough people pressing flowers in the UK to supply current demand. After all, the reason I started doing it commercially was because my two UK suppliers both retired! I can’t mass produce anything, and it’s unlikely to be cost-effective, but I do enjoy doing it.
So on to collection data… It dawned on me that I can provide traceability for my flowers that importers and resellers can’t. I can tell you not only the name of the flower, but where it was growing, and when I picked it.
Sustainability
I’m hoping it goes without saying that flying pressed flowers to the UK isn’t really sustainable. But in my view, nor is picking them from the wild. As a kid, I remember picking armfuls of buttercups, cow parsley and grasses to take home and display in jam jars of water. But now? Every buttercup brought home from the wild is preventing that plant seeding itself around nearby. And what if I accidentally picked a rare flower and damaged the plant?
These days, although I certainly believe in foraging for personal use (not selling), I would only pick flowers I can identify and know to be plentiful. So these days any pressed flowers you see me sell will be:
- Growing as weeds in my Sussex garden – I have an abundant supply ;)
- Cultivated in my garden
- Bought as a pot plant grown in the UK wherever possible
- Bought as a cut flower grown in the UK wherever possible
I’m making a point here about wildflowers because my hobby is photographing and identifying them. Someone I was out monitoring local species with asked me where I source my wildflowers to dry and sell on. That’s not me at all! If you’re interested in UK wildflowers too, do have a look at my blog photographingwildflowers.co.uk.
Tips for making herbarium specimens
If you’d like to try DIY herbarium specimens for art or home decor, here are some tips:
- Use larger pressed flowers – the botanical display wants to be at least A5 to look authentic
- Include leaves and stems if possible
- Use archival or acid-free mounting paper, this will help to stop your display aging too much
- Choose PVA glue to attach your pressed flowers to the page as it’s also acid-free
- Use paper tape to support any heavier parts on the page
- Include any data you know about the plant e.g. its name, when and where you found it. Some people use calligraphy for this
- Once finished, frame and display out of direct sunlight to avoid fading – read about how to frame pressed flowers
- Visit the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh website for more tips and examples – see link at top of page
Find out more about the basics of pressing flowers