I’m not particularly fond of fresh bouquets of flowers, because they eventually wither and have to be thrown away. As for plants, I’m yet to encounter one I can keep alive for more than a year, including a spekboom, which is a little bit embarrassing to admit. Even cacti are a struggle, although I’m proud to say I’ve kept one alive since February, so we’ll see how that goes.
All this to say: it’s hard enough looking after myself as a stressed university student, I can’t handle the responsibility of being a plant parent. But, as someone who loves looking at flowers and admiring their intricate design, apartment living has had its downsides.
And then came the Lego Botanical Collection to bring some colour and wonder to my apartment.
In 2021, I received the Lego Flower Bouquet (10280) as a gift. That set, along with the Lego Bonsai Tree (10281), were the first two in the Botanical Collection, which launched that same year. So I suppose I’ve been a fan from the beginning.
I remember being surprised and impressed by the clever use of parts, with pieces I’d never expect to form flowers coming together to create something that looked both delicate and striking.
Having previously only built Lego Friends and Star Wars sets, this felt like a very different experience. The way the petals were layered to imitate real flowers was carefully thought out, and it made building the set really enjoyable.
Earlier this year, I was given the Lego Bouquet of Roses (10328) and decided to wait until I had a bit more time to enjoy the process. That might sound strange, since most people build their sets right away, but I wanted to make a moment of it. After finishing my mid-year exams, building the roses felt like a well-earned break.
Photo courtesy Lego.
The set includes twelve red roses at three different stages of blooming: buds, half-open, and fully open. It also includes sprigs of baby’s breath. Each part of the bouquet comes with its own instruction booklet, which, with four roses at each stage of blooming, makes it easy to either build alone, possibly over time, or share the process with someone else. It could be a nice activity with friends or even as a date, although I know not everyone is keen to share their Lego.
Since 2018, many of the botanical elements in sets have been made using a type of plastic derived from sugarcane, which is sourced sustainably with input from WWF.
In 2020, Lego started replacing single-use plastic bags in their stores with paper alternatives, and they’re now also transitioning the inner packaging of their boxes from plastic to paper. While many of the current sets still include plastic bags, that’s because they’re phasing out existing stock. Other packaging elements, like baseplate wrapping and Pick a Brick containers, have already been switched to paper-based options.
These steps are part of Lego’s stated aim to use sustainable materials across all core products and packaging by 2030. It’s encouraging to see a large company taking active steps in that direction rather than only making long-term promises.
Photo courtesy Lego.
Just over a month ago, Lego released three new sets in the Botanical Collection: Botanicals Happy Plants (10349), Art The Fauna Collection – Tiger (31217), Botanicals Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree (10348). And a few days ago they announced two new sets in the collection which will be available from 1 August 2025: Botanicals Hibiscus Flower (10372) and Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees (10373).
With the collection steadily expanding, it’s exciting to see which plants or flowers Lego will interpret next. Although there’s already a small two-sunflower set (40524) available, I’d love to see a full sunflower bouquet at some point, similar to how the rose duo (40460) was also developed into a full bouquet.
For now, though, I’m happy with my growing collection. It’s a simple way to add colour and personality to a space, with no watering required.
- Zianda Goldstuck is a university student, Lego enthusiast and a youth and popular culture contributor to Gadget.