I picked several flowers from a Rhododendron ‘Lee’s Dark Purple’. I then squashed the flowers between normal stationary paper on one side and a sheet of blotting paper on the other.

I then held this tightly together inside a 9” Microfleur Flower Press and then microwaved the whole lot at full power for 35 seconds. This is a well-known technique that rapidly dries plant material, whilst preserving colour.

Highly Commended - Macro Art