Botanical Guide

What to Bring

You’re welcome to bring your own botanicals to personalize your mandala banner
Aim for 10–15 leaves or flowers as a starting point.
Mindfully collect botanicals that speak to you: from your garden, a walk outside, or a special memory.

You’ll also have access to a curated selection of fresh and preserved botanicals during class so no stress if you don’t have time to gather your own.

What Works Best

• Leaves and flowers with interesting shapes or defined silhouettes work beautifully, think ferns, maple, oak, gingko leaves, aster flowers, mugwort leaves, rose petals, goldenrod, or herbs like parsley. ***and of course be aware of not bringing plants such as poison ivy!

• Botanicals can be fresh or pressed, but they work best when flat as possible.

• It’s helpful (but not required) to have similar sizes for each type of botanical.

• Avoid pieces that are very crunchy-dry as they’re difficult to keep flat when creating your design.

Preparing Your Botanicals

If you’d like to press flowers or leaves before class:

• Place them between two sheets of parchment paper (or plain paper).

• Slip the paper inside a heavy book. I love using old dictionaries or if you can find them - phone books!

• Add a few extra books on top for gentle pressure.

• Leave them overnight, or if you’re short on time a few hours