The Ageless Appeal of LEGO Botanicals
/The LEGO Botanical Collection introduced LEGO lovers to a different kind of model, translating organic forms into life-like brick sculptures previously only seen in MOCs and the now-retired 21301 Birds set from LEGO Ideas. The relatively affordable price point (only one set, 10289 Birds of Paradise, retails above $60 USD) and stunning models have made it extremely popular to both experienced and novice builders.
Today we chat with Floss Barrett, a grandmother from the United Kingdom, whose love for the Botanicals line prompted her to help start the Botanicals Blocks Fans Facebook Group — an online haven for lovers of all things related to brick-made flowers.
Floss with her brick garden on full display.
Inez: Hey, Floss! Thanks for agreeing to chat with us. Could you tell us something about yourself and your LEGO story?
Floss: I remember going to the local toyshop as a child in the ‘60s and buying a box of LEGO with the money I had saved up. Sadly, my mother gave away the LEGO we had in the house to another child when I was older. It's what people did back then, everyone shared what they had, which wasn't very much as I recall. So when I had children myself, I decided to keep their LEGO when they stopped playing with it so that my grandchildren could build and create with it — which they now do.
It was after I suffered injuries to both my hands nearly 20 years ago that I brought out my children's LEGO and started building with it as physiotherapy. It helped immensely. It also helped with the anxiety that I was suffering with too. As a child, I would build LEGO houses which prompted me to buy my first LEGO set as an adult in 2010, 5891 Creator 3 in 1 Apple Tree House.
Inez: Thank you for sharing how LEGO has helped you. You mentioned your grandkids. Do you build with them? What do they think of Grandma’s love for LEGO flowers?
Floss: My eldest granddaughter Chloe, aged 12, loved playing with her mother's Paradisa sets which I had bought for her in the ‘90s as well as Friends and other sets. Sadly, these have been put aside since she entered high school and she has other hobbies and schoolwork to keep her busy. My son's children range from 1 year to 4 years to nearly 6 years of age. Francesca, the 4-year-old loves LEGO. She will sit and build with me all day if I let her. Emma likes building LEGO although she prefers playing outside and puzzles on her tablet. The girls built the LEGO tulips and daffodils which I have added to my botanical flowers display at events. My children and grandchildren love that I build LEGO flowers and find them amazing.
Floss’s granddaughters with their tulips and daffodils at Grandma’s exhibit. Photo used with permission from floss barrett.
Inez: It’s so awesome that your grandkids helped with your display! I love how LEGO brings your family together. And speaking of displays, your flower exhibits have been featured in some media lately. Can you tell us about them? How did you start exhibiting and when is your next exhibit?
Floss: I was picking up the new Botanical releases on May 1st when the manager approached me and asked me to bring in more of my botanical creations for the changeover in May. I never thought I would ever build anything good enough to display in a LEGO store, now here I was displaying twice in a row. I have to say, it's really exciting and my husband is so pleased and proud of where my LEGO hobby has taken me. I would encourage anybody to join a LUG and start building MOCs with a view to displaying them at events or in the LEGO store. It's such a wonderful feeling when people ask you about your display and how long it took you to build it, one question I'm unable to answer, as I look after my husband and I just build as and when I have some free time.
My most recent display was in my local Botanical Gardens Cafe in Rhyl. I was displaying here solo to support my local Botanical Gardens and the community. I did not charge for people to come and view my LEGO flowers there, although I did request that they enjoy some refreshments from the cafe while there. It was an opportunity to publicize the Gardens Cafe, Rhyl Building Bricks event on July 22nd this year, and the AFOL events I organize locally where we enjoy an evening of banter and LEGO games. Again, more information about this can be found on the Rhyl Building Bricks Facebook page.
Floss’s flowers on display at the Liverpool LEGO store.
As for when I started displaying my MOCs, it was through UK Northern Brickworks LUG that I started exhibiting my LEGO at events. I started with a small church that I had built having been invited along to Lymm Historic Transport Day, the event takes place on June 25th this year. Moving onto displaying fairground rides, I displayed this over a few years at Lymm, Rhyl Buildings Bricks event, which I founded in 2017 and takes place this year on July 22nd. There is a Rhyl Building Bricks Facebook page with more information.
I was due to display my LEGO farm which I had built when Covid 19 struck. We at Northern Brickworks LUG didn't let the pandemic get in our way of displaying our MOCs. We went virtual on the internet, and a video of this can be found on YouTube under Northern Brickworks Virtual Bricks “OLD McFLOSS' FARM!” (along with many other members’ videos that we produced). I have since displayed my LEGO farm at the Mossley Bricks Event, which takes place on May 13th this year.
Inez: You’ve been building for quite some time now! When did you get into building the botanicals? And what do you think is the best thing about them? Have you built them all?
In 2021, LEGO released the first of their Botanical sets. I have always loved gardening and growing flowers from seeds and summer salad vegetables. I get my green fingers from my paternal grandfather. My mother let me do most of the gardening when I was growing up, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I looked after the greenhouse in my high school too. I have never been one for cut flowers in the house though. I prefer to see them growing in gardens or in the wild.
Building the LEGO flowers has been the best for me, they are definitely my all-time favorite range. I have every Botanical set released by LEGO, many of them in multiples for the elements to create my own flowers. Having built all the sets, my all-time favourite is 10314 Dried Flower Centrepiece.
Having spent many happy hours looking at and researching different LEGO elements, I can't look at a flower now without seeing a LEGO element and often wish that LEGO released it in that colour. Creating my own flowers has resulted in my having displayed my LEGO flowers twice in the "Build Like A Master" showcase in the Liverpool LEGO store, my first display being in January 2023.
The thing I love most about the Botanical range is the price. I myself feel that most of them are very affordable, the most expensive being the 10289 Bird of Paradise at £89.99 RRP. There are always offers on LEGO in the shops plus they make a wonderful birthday, Mother's and Father's Day, or Christmas present.
Inez: What’s your favorite flower MOC so far and what are your thoughts on building botanicals?
Floss: I'm not sure that I have a favourite MOC flower—I love them all. I do especially like the Gladioli I have created.
I would love to contact LEGO to inform them of retired elements that I am creating my MOC flowers with. Or to ask if certain elements could be produced in a new colour to widen the horizon of possibilities of more flowers that the LEGO company could release. In my years of researching through elements and the colours that are available in them at the moment and were available in years gone by, I'm sure I could jog their memory. In doing so see more Botanical flowers released by their master builders.
Gladioli using bionicle parts by Floss Barrrett
Inez: How did you come to start the Botanicals group on Facebook?
Floss: I asked around in other Facebook groups if there was a group for people who like the Botanical sets. Not knowing how to set up a group myself, Holly Vince stepped in and we run Botanical Blocks Fans together. The group was founded on January 22, 2023, and to date, we have 3,000 members and counting. Holly and I can't believe how popular the group has become.
more lovely flowers by floss.
Inez: Any advice for those wanting to get into the hobby?
Floss: LEGO can be enjoyed by all ages not just young children. My son at the age of 3 was very inquisitive and this was very tiring as a parent. I started to buy him small LEGO sets and I would build them in the evening ready for him to play with the following morning. He would then break them apart, which was good because it was nurturing his mind. Eventually, after breaking the models apart he started building them again. It was a game changer and he finally started to settle down having found something to occupy his mind; all grown up now, he still loves building with LEGO.
My best friend is 73 and has just started building LEGO. Never having liked LEGO when her children had it growing up, she is really enjoying building with it now. She loves the Botanical sets too and has built many of them. Being a pensioner she has to be careful with her money. Like any hobby, LEGO can be as expensive or as cheap a hobby as you want to make it. I advised her to buy the small 3 in 1 animal sets which can often be found on sale. Or the new Creator birds sets that are appearing.
If you or somebody you know suffers from anxiety or other mental health issues, I would really recommend building LEGO. It helps to clear the mind and is really relaxing to build. A family sitting at the table building LEGO together can bond through the love of this little brick. Join a LUG and form new friendships. Visit LEGO events and socialize with like-minded people. I honestly can't find any bad points in joining in with the love of LEGO, be it from the comfort of your own home to socializing in a group. Happy building every one.
Inez: Thanks so much for the great chat, Floss! I really enjoy being part of the Botanicals Blocks Fans group, and I look forward to seeing the group grow in the future
What do you think of the LEGO Botanical Collection? Do you own any of the sets? Do you make your own flower MOCs? Let us know in the comments below!
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