https://youtu.be/mu0JH_Pj4XE?si=Z3BS5eQRfw56DE7N

Wondering what's NEXT in your portfolio of floral products and services? Today’s topic – the art and business of flower pressing -- promises to inspire you. I’m thrilled to share our recent November Slow Flowers Meet-Up with Kate Punnett, who’s based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is a pressed flower artist dedicated to sustainability and she crafts custom pressed floral art, greeting cards and fine art with botanicals she grows and sources from fellow farmers. Her studio, The August Press, also creates professional-grade flower presses inspired by the timeless art of pressing flowers – listen and watch to learn more about her techniques and how you can get started pressing flowers in your own studio.

Kate Punnett, The Pressed Florist

A few weeks ago, we held November’s Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up, a virtual Zoom gathering that showcases experts among our community who generously share their talents and knowledge with fellow Slow Flowers Members. Our session featured Ottawa-based floral artist Kate Punnett, owner of The August Press. As a longtime specialty cut flower grower who has spent the past several years perfecting her personal flower pressing technique, Kate now sells original and digitized pressed flower artwork, takes commissions, sells her custom-designed presses, and teaches others about the wonders and joys of pressing the flower we love.

Kate Punnett of The August Press

It felt like a great time of year – especially for those of us who want to slow down and explore a new facet of our lives in flowers -- and I invited Kate to lead this session. Flower pressing is an age-old practice. Think about placing a violet in the pages of a thick dictionary – and months later discovering its perfect, papery form! Kate is pushing the methods and elevating the art form far beyond dictionary pressing.

This is definitely one of our Podcast episodes that calls for you to click over to our show notes at slowflowerspodcast.com to find the video link – in which you’ll watch Kate demonstrate some of the techniques she employs. It is especially cool to see how Kate breaks down thick buds and blooms like roses and sunflowers so they can press flat, and to learn how she utilizes a bloom or stem’s most natural angles, much as you might observe them growing in the garden. SO much to consider and I’m delighted to share our conversation with you today!

Pressed Floral Art by Kate Punnett

You will also see more photography of Kate’s pressed florals and products, including her new version of the Handbook for the Pressed Floral Artist, a digital guide that you can order online for a modest investment.

Follow The August Press on Instagram

Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2025

In more news, if you’re listening to this episode when it drops on Wednesday, November 27th, it’s time to take advantage of our Black Friday through Cyber Monday ticket promotion for the upcoming Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, taking place online in the New Year – January 9-11th.

That’s right, starting this Friday, November 29th through Monday, December 2nd, we are rolling back the Summit ticket prices to our $50 off introductory Early-Bird rate. And remember, Slow Flowers members always receive an additional $50 off their ticket purchase as a member benefit. Check out the link in our show notes, or click on the bio in our IG account -- @slowflowerssociety, or visit slowflowerssummit.com. Enjoy fifteen hours of online education from some of the top floral experts in the Slow Flowers community and I hope to see you there!

Grab Your Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit Tickets Here

Bonus Episode

Sarah Statham of Simply by Arrangement

By way of previewing our amazing speakers, we just posted a bonus to today’s episode -- an encore interview I recorded in 2015 with Sarah Statham of Simply by Arrangement, based in Yorkshire England.