How to Make an Autumn Herbarium with Pressed Leaves & Flowers
Updated: Sep 2
Autumn leaves are at their most interesting just before they disappear: speckled beech, copper oak, tiny seed heads, fading grasses and the last garden flowers all record a particular moment in the year. Pressing a small selection into an autumn herbarium turns that short-lived colour and shape into something you can revisit long after the season has changed.
A traditional herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens mounted and labelled for study. Your home version can be much more relaxed. Think of it as a cross between a botanical reference book, nature journal and seasonal craft project — still labelled carefully, but made for curiosity rather than scientific research.
You do not need specialist equipment. A few sheets of absorbent paper, a stack of heavy books and a notebook are enough to begin.
What Is an Autumn Herbarium?
A herbarium preserves real plant material by flattening and drying it, then mounting the specimen with information about where and when it was collected. The label is what separates a simple pressed leaf collection from a more useful botanical record.
For an autumn herbarium, you might focus on the changing leaves of one local tree, the seed heads in your garden, plants found on a regular walk, or a mixture of seasonal material arranged by colour. There is no need to collect rare plants or large quantities. One good representative specimen usually tells the story better than a pile of leaves.
What to Collect in Autumn
Choose dry, healthy specimens that are small enough to flatten. Autumn gives you more than colourful tree leaves; the overlooked material is often the most beautiful once pressed.
Small or medium tree leaves with clear veins and interesting colour
The last small garden or wild flowers of the season
Thin grasses and slender stems
Flat or delicate seed heads
Ferns and herb sprigs that are not too bulky
A representative leaf from herbs or garden plants you want to remember
Collect on a dry day after surface moisture has evaporated. Avoid diseased, mouldy or insect-infested material. Do not collect protected or rare plants, and make sure you have permission before taking specimens from private land, reserves or managed gardens.
If a plant is unfamiliar or potentially irritating, leave it where it is and photograph it instead. A herbarium is not a reason to handle a specimen you cannot identify safely.
What You Need
Absorbent paper, unprinted newsprint or blotting paper
Two pieces of flat cardboard
A stack of heavy books or a simple flower press
A notebook or phone for collection notes
A pencil and small paper labels
Acid-free or good-quality heavyweight paper for mounting
Tweezers for delicate dried specimens
Small amounts of acid-free glue or archival paper strips
If you are making the herbarium as a temporary seasonal journal, ordinary good-quality paper is fine. If you hope to keep it for many years, acid-free mounting paper and archival adhesive or strips will reduce yellowing and deterioration.
How to Make an Autumn Herbarium
Step 1: Collect on a Dry Day
Take only a small number of clean, representative specimens. Slip delicate material between sheets of paper or into a notebook while you are outside so it does not curl badly before you get home.
Step 2: Record the Details Before You Forget
Before pressing, note the date, general location and anything that will disappear during drying: the colour of a flower, the height of the plant, the type of habitat or the tree it came from. Once several anonymous brown leaves are sitting on your table, memory becomes surprisingly unreliable.
Step 3: Arrange the Specimen Between Absorbent Paper
Lay the specimen as naturally as possible. Spread overlapping leaves, turn one leaf to show the underside if that detail matters, and gently straighten stems without forcing them. Place another sheet of absorbent paper over the top.
Step 4: Press It Flat
Sandwich the papers between cardboard, then place them beneath several heavy books on a flat surface. A flower press does the same job with boards and straps or screws; it is convenient if you make pressed botanicals regularly, but it is not essential.
Step 5: Change Damp Papers
Check the first time after a day or two. Juicy leaves and flowers may make the paper noticeably damp, in which case replace it with dry sheets. Good airflow and dry paper reduce the risk of mould and help the specimen dry more quickly.
Thin leaves may be ready within a week, while thicker or more moisture-rich specimens can take two to three weeks. Humidity makes a big difference, so judge by feel rather than the calendar. A properly dried specimen should feel papery and completely dry, not cool or flexible.
Step 6: Mount the Dried Specimen
Handle dried leaves with clean, dry hands or tweezers. Arrange the specimen on your page before attaching anything. Use tiny dots of suitable adhesive or narrow archival paper strips at the stem and a few sturdy points rather than coating the whole leaf in glue.
Step 7: Add a Label
Place the label consistently — traditionally towards the lower part of the page — and leave enough white space for the specimen to remain the focus. Write in pencil if you are still working out identifications; ink is harder to correct later.
What to Include on a Herbarium Label
Common name
Scientific name, but only if you can identify it confidently
Date collected
General location
Habitat, such as woodland edge, garden, hedgerow or park
A short note about colour, scent, plant size or other details worth remembering
For common garden plants, a town or general area is usually enough. Avoid publishing an exact location for rare, vulnerable or protected species.
How to Keep More Autumn Colour
Pressed foliage will change with age, and that is part of working with real plant material. You can, however, slow some of the browning by starting with dry, fresh-looking specimens and removing moisture quickly.
Press leaves soon after collecting them rather than leaving them in a bag
Choose thin, healthy specimens without wet patches
Use plenty of absorbent paper
Replace damp paper during the early stage of pressing
Keep the press somewhere dry and out of direct sunlight
Store finished pages away from heat, damp and strong UV light
Very vivid red and purple leaves are often less colourfast than they appear when fresh. Treat the original shade as a bonus rather than a promise; the structure, veins and record of the season are what make a herbarium last.
What to Do with Thick Leaves and Seed Heads
Not every autumn find wants to become flat. Thick waxy leaves, fleshy berries, acorns and bulky seed heads can trap moisture, stain the paper or simply refuse to press.
Use a smaller representative section where that still identifies the plant. Thick stems can sometimes be split lengthways before pressing. For a three-dimensional fruit or seed head, photograph it beside the plant, then mount a leaf or thin section and add the photograph or a note to the page instead.
Never force a damp, bulky object into a closed book and forget about it. The combination of organic material, pressure and trapped moisture is an excellent recipe for mould.
5 Creative Autumn Herbarium Ideas
1. Make an Autumn Colour Gradient
Collect a small series of common leaves ranging from green through yellow, ochre, orange and brown. Mount one per page or create a single study sheet. It is an easy project for children too, provided an adult checks the plants being collected.
2. Follow One Tree Through the Season
Choose a tree you pass regularly and press one fallen or responsibly collected leaf every week for several weeks. Label each with the date. The finished sequence records autumn far more clearly than one perfect leaf ever could.
3. Make a Family Woodland-Walk Journal
Pair one or two pressed specimens with the date of the walk, a small sketch, weather notes or a photograph. It turns the herbarium into a record of place and time rather than just a collection of botanical objects.
4. Create a Garden Archive
Press leaves and late flowers from plants you grow yourself and note the cultivar where you know it. Add harvest dates, scent notes or what you used the plant for. Over time, the book becomes a useful garden record as well as a craft project.
5. Keep an Eco-Printing Source Notebook
If you experiment with plant pigments, keep a pressed sample beside a small swatch of the print or dye it produced. That makes it much easier to remember which leaves gave strong colour and which simply looked promising.
For techniques to test alongside your herbarium, see Eco Printing on Paper with Leaves, 5 Easy Botanical Leaf Printing Techniques and my experiment with natural dye made from butterfly bush prunings.
Herbarium or Craft Material? Use Leaves Twice
One of the nicest ways to connect these autumn projects is to collect duplicate leaves from abundant, permitted material. Press the best specimen for your reference page, then use the second for a print, rubbing or eco-print test. Add the result next to your notes.
This approach turns the herbarium into a working botanical notebook. Instead of simply preserving leaves, you begin to notice which species hold their shape, which have strong veins, which transfer pigment and which fade quickly.
Storing and Displaying Your Herbarium
Keep finished pages flat, dry and away from direct sun. A ring binder with acid-free sleeves can work for a practical home collection, while bound sketchbooks are easier to browse but give you less flexibility to rearrange pages.
If you frame a particularly beautiful specimen, use it as temporary seasonal art rather than assuming the colours will remain unchanged. Hang the frame away from a bright window and keep your labelled reference page or photograph elsewhere if the botanical record matters to you.
Check stored pages occasionally for moisture, insect activity or loose specimens. A dry cupboard or drawer is usually safer than a humid bathroom, kitchen shelf or garden studio.
Autumn Herbarium: Frequently Asked Questions
1. How long do autumn leaves take to press?
Thin autumn leaves may dry in about a week, while thicker or moisture-rich leaves can take two to three weeks. Humidity, paper absorbency and how often you change damp sheets all affect the drying time. The leaf should feel fully dry and papery before you mount it.
2. How do I stop pressed leaves turning brown?
You cannot prevent all colour change, but quick pressing helps. Start with dry healthy leaves, press them soon after collecting, use absorbent paper, change damp sheets and keep the press out of sunlight. Reds and purples can still fade over time.
3. Can I press wet autumn leaves?
It is better not to press leaves that are wet from rain or dew. Surface moisture increases the chance of staining and mould. Let them dry naturally first, then press them once the outside is completely dry.
4. Do I need a flower press to make a herbarium?
No. Absorbent paper, flat cardboard and a stack of heavy books work very well for beginners. A proper flower press becomes useful if you collect frequently or want to press several batches at once.
5. What is the difference between a herbarium and a pressed flower journal?
A herbarium traditionally preserves labelled plant specimens as a botanical reference, with details such as name, date, place and habitat. A pressed flower journal may be mainly decorative or personal. A home autumn herbarium can comfortably combine both approaches.
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