How to press poppies

Here's what I've been doing today... pressing some of my really big (long?) scarlet poppies, along with their stems and leaves.

I'm pressing the flowers in my Microfleur, and the the 9-12" stems in a larger wooden microwave flower press, and the longest stems are being pressed in my "mega press".

I'm leaving most of the leaves right on the stems, but I'm also pressing some separately as well. Poppies hold their red color brilliantly, but when using the Microfleur, use several short cycles of 30 seconds or so with a rest of 5 minutes in between. The poppy season is short, so try pressing some for yourself soon!

Mega Botanical Press

If you are one of my three regular readers (bless your heart!), you may remember my "How does one press this?" post where I discovered alocasia (elephant ear) leaves. I was determined to grow them here in Wisconsin, so that I could try pressing their remarkable leaves.
Well, so far, so good! The alocasia bulb I bought has thrived, and the foliage has been spectacular. The picture above is the first leaf I harvested, along with my improvised press. The wood is actually laminated shelving (approx. 18" x 24"), and I've used large pieces of fiber fill quilt padding and felt as the filler.
To hold the press together, I've used ratchet clamps, which can be made tighter as the leaf shrinks.
I'm guessing that it will take about two weeks until the leaf is fully dry. I hope it works. Stay tuned!