Pressed Flower Art & Wedding Flower Preservation
West Cornwall, UK
One-of-one pressed flower compositions from an organic garden on the Cornish coast. Each piece handmade. Each piece unrepeatable.
View the collectionOriginal works
How it's made
A slow, seasonal process that can't be rushed. Each piece takes weeks — sometimes months — from the first seed to the finished frame.
Flowers and foliage are grown organically in our Cornish garden, without pesticides or chemicals. We plant with pressing in mind — choosing species for colour, form and how they hold.
Each bloom is harvested at peak colour and pressed between sheets of absorbent paper in a traditional flower press. They stay there for three weeks, slowly drying while keeping their natural form. Any flowers that don't make it into a final artwork are composted back into the garden — nothing is wasted.
Once pressed, each flower and leaf is arranged by hand into a composition — balancing colour, shape, and negative space until it feels right. No two pieces are alike. This is where the artwork takes shape.
Finished compositions are sealed behind UV coated conservation glazing in solid wood frames, offering maximum protection from exposure to light. With a focus on sustainability, we use UK-made, FSC-certified frames where possible.
All the pressed flowers used in my artwork are completely natural. I choose not to use artificial treatments or preservatives of any kind — each plant is grown, gathered and traditionally pressed, just as it is.
This means the colours will evolve and fade over time, softening gradually into gentle vintage tones, while the delicate forms and textures remain. To me, this quiet transformation is part of the artwork's history. It mirrors the natural rhythms of the garden, and celebrates the ephemeral beauty of flowers.
Every piece is finished behind conservation grade glass with 99% UV protection, offering maximum protection from light exposure and preserving the vibrancy of its colours.
About
Hello, I'm Yanwen Graver, founder of Salt Pressed Flowers. In my garden on the Cornish coast, I grow and gather organic blooms and foliage, pressing them using traditional methods before composing each piece by hand.
My work is inspired by the ever-changing beauty of the Cornish landscape and the quiet rhythms of the seasons. No two compositions are ever the same — each is a one-of-one original, shaped by whatever the garden offers at that moment.
Everything here is grown without chemicals or pesticides, and pressed using only traditional, sustainable methods — no heat treatments or artificial processes. We leave wild areas of the garden to thrive, encouraging insects, birds and pollinators to make their home alongside our blooms. For us, a garden that supports nature is as important as the art it inspires.
My work now also includes seaweed pressings, hand-gathered at low tide from local beaches here in West Cornwall. I collect only small amounts of drift seaweed, combed at low tide and pressed using traditional methods. My seaweed pieces celebrate the extraordinary detail and delicate forms of the Cornish shoreline.
You can find my artworks on display at Pellar Studio, Helston. I will be exhibiting my pressed flower artworks July 16th–23rd 2027 at the Old Lifeboat House Gallery in Porthleven. You are also very welcome to visit the studio to see an artwork in person before buying — please get in touch by email to arrange a time.
Yanwen Graver, West Cornwall
Bespoke
If you have an idea for a bespoke piece of pressed flower artwork or want to preserve meaningful occasion flowers, please get in touch via email. I will work with you to decide the final composition of your artwork.
I offer a variety of options in terms of size, style and framing, or you can provide your own frame if you prefer.
These prices are based on working with flowers you provide, and include framing and tracked delivery. Our frames are locally crafted from FSC-certified solid wood and available in a variety of finishes, each fitted with anti-UV glass to preserve the vibrancy of your flowers for years to come.
A pressed flower composition is a lasting, beautiful way to cherish the memories of your wedding day. I offer a wedding flower and bouquet preservation service for couples marrying in Cornwall. Fresh flowers press best, so I ask that yours are delivered to me the day after your wedding — often the happy task of a trusted member of the wedding party.
Each piece is traditionally slow-pressed over at least three weeks, with no artificial chemicals or preservatives used at any stage. From wedding day to finished artwork typically takes around two to three months.
As your flowers are natural, the colours will naturally mellow and fade with time, but they will always retain their intricate organic forms. To me, this quiet transformation is part of the artwork's history and celebrates the natural lifecycle of flowers.
If you're already married and would love to see your bouquet reimagined as a pressed flower composition, we'd love to hear from you. We grow a wide variety of blooms and foliage in our garden, and can work with you to echo the flowers from your day — composed and preserved as a lasting piece.
Common questions
Get in touch
Whether you're interested in a piece, a commission, or wedding flower preservation — send us a message.