home and garden There are many ways to display the dried flowers. A simple but beautiful way is on a white paper plate.
G N I D N TRE NOd W Flower Art Presse
article by Rindy O’Brien, photos by Hailey Rohn, Wildry
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practice known as Oshibana–drying the flowers in presses, then using the flowers, petals, and leaves to create an artistic painting. The art is said to promote “patience, harmony with nature, and powers of concentration,” according to Mirian Tatsumi, a teacher of Oshibana in San Paulo, Brazil. Pressed flower art had a resurgence in popularity during the Victorian era. More recently, during the 1967 summer of love, dried flowers worn in hippies’ long flowing hair be-
An Ancient Art Form
Hailey takes special orders to preserve flowers from special events of your life like a wedding or funeral or birthday.
uddenly the world is full of flowers and plants. The markets showcase stunning bouquets of sunflowers, zinnias, roses, cosmos, Queen Anne’s lace, and more. “The earth laughs in flowers,” said Ralph Waldo Emerson. August’s plethora of blooms in bright summer reds, yellows, and purples shouts joy and happiness. A vase full of summer flowers are lovely, but before the week is out, the petals are dropping, and the flowers are drooping. What if there was a way to preserve our favorites as a reminder of our summer days? There is. Local gardener, trained landscape architect, and artist Hailey Rohn has burst on the DC scene with her pressed flower workshops and trainings. She opened her business Wildry during the pandemic and is offering many events and workshops this summer including some at Union Market. Her classes range from a small group of eight to as many as 30 people. “My classes often bring young twenty-something people together for an evening of drinks and flower creation,” says Hailey. Her classes show you a fun way to preserve your favorite flowers into small art works, candles, and more.
Pressed flowers can be traced back to 16th century Japan. Samurai warriors are said to have created the
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