Leaf guide › Preserving leaves

How to preserve and display fall leaves

Fallen leaves lose their color and curl up within days. With a little care, the special ones, like the reddest maple in the yard or a perfect ginkgo fan, can keep their shape and much of their color long after the trees are bare.

Choosing leaves worth keeping

Start with the best leaves you can find. Look for ones at their brightest, with no holes, spots, or tears. Freshly fallen leaves that are still soft and bend easily work best; once a leaf has dried out and turned crisp, it will crack when you try to flatten it.

Collect on a dry day, since leaves that are wet from rain or dew can mold while they dry. Take a few more than you need, because some will curl or fade more than others, and lay them flat in a book or folder for the trip home.

Some leaves are especially worth saving. The scarlet of a red maple and the orange of a sugar maple are the classics. Sassafras grows three leaf shapes on the same tree, including one shaped like a mitten. Ginkgo has golden fans, sweetgum has star-shaped leaves that can be red, purple, orange, and yellow on the same tree, and tulip tree leaves have an unusual squared-off tip. A small, round aspen leaf makes a neat keepsake from a trip to the Rockies.

Leave poison ivy and poison sumac alone, even though they’re some of the brightest red leaves in fall. Their oil can still cause an itchy rash, and it stays on dried leaves too. Poison oak in the West is the same. Here’s how to recognize poison ivy in fall.

Pick up leaves from your own yard or another place where it’s allowed. National parks don’t allow picking or removing plants or plant parts, and that includes fallen leaves, and many state parks have their own rules, so check before you collect. In those places, take photos instead.

Press them in a book

Pressing is the simplest method and gives you flat leaves that are perfect for framing.

1. Lay each leaf flat between two sheets of paper towel or plain paper, which soaks up moisture and keeps the leaf from staining the pages.
2. Place it inside a large, heavy book, and stack more books on top.
3. Leave the leaves for about a week or more. Thin leaves dry faster, and thick ones take longer. If the paper feels damp after the first few days, swap in fresh sheets.

Pressed leaves come out flat and papery. They’re delicate, so handle them gently, and their colors soften over time.

Seal them in wax paper

Wax paper and an iron seal a leaf in a thin, glossy layer. It’s quick, and the sealed leaves are sturdier than pressed ones. An adult should handle the iron.

1. Lay the leaf between two sheets of wax paper.
2. Cover it with a thin towel or cloth so the iron never touches the wax paper.
3. Press with a dry iron, with the steam off, keeping the iron moving so the leaf doesn’t scorch, until the two sheets stick together around the leaf. Flip it over and repeat.
4. Once it cools, trim around the leaf, leaving a narrow edge of wax paper so the seal holds.

Soak them in glycerin

Glycerin, a clear liquid sold at pharmacies and craft stores, replaces the water in a leaf. Instead of turning brittle, the leaves stay soft and flexible, so you can bend them into garlands and wreaths. This is the method the Missouri Department of Conservation describes:

1. In a shallow pan, mix one part glycerin with two parts water. Make enough to cover all the leaves.
2. Lay the leaves in the mixture, making sure each one is fully under the liquid.
3. Set a second pan or a plate on top to hold them down.
4. Let them soak for three to five days. The longer they soak, the more flexible they’ll be.
5. Take them out and blot off the extra liquid with paper towels. If they curl, press them between paper towels under a few books for several days.

Seal them for a longer life

Any of these methods lasts longer with a seal. Clear contact paper protects pressed leaves from air and handling, and it lets you mount them on heavy paper or poster board. For leaves you want to show without a cover, a clear spray sealer made for crafts adds a protective coat. Use it outdoors or in a well-ventilated room, and let it dry completely.

Ways to display them

• Frame them. A frame with two panes of glass makes a leaf look like it’s floating. Or mount pressed leaves on heavy paper in a simple frame, with a label for the tree, the place, and the date you found it.
• Use a shadow box. Glycerin leaves that aren’t perfectly flat look good in a deep frame, mixed with acorns, pine cones, or a trail map from the trip.
• String a garland. Thread glycerin or wax paper leaves on twine or fishing line and hang them across a mantel, doorway, or window.
• Set the table. Scatter glycerin leaves down the middle of a fall table, or write names on large leaves for place cards.
• Make a wreath. Flexible glycerin leaves can be tucked or wired into a wreath for the door.

How to keep them looking good

Even well-preserved leaves fade eventually, but you can slow it down. Keep them out of direct sunlight, which fades the color faster, and in a dry spot, since damp air can make them curl or mold. Store extra leaves flat between sheets of paper in a box or folder. Sealed and glycerin-treated leaves usually hold their color longer than leaves that are only pressed.