As wars and floods and storms and billionaires and an ongoing pandemic continue to make the 2020s the perfect stress incubator, finding ways to relax and rest your brain is critical. Enter Lego’s newest reveal, which perfectly merges two relaxing hobbies: gardening and playing with building toys.
At one time, Lego was strictly considered a children’s toy, with adults who never lost their love for the plastic bricks having to keep their hobby a secret. These days, Lego markets its building sets to all age groups, and the company’s new additions to it Botanicals Collection is the perfect way to proudly show off your own ever-growing collection of little plastic bricks.
Assembly Required, But No Green Thumbs Needed
First released back in December of 2020, Lego’s Botanicals Collection was one of the company’s most aggressive moves in expanding the appeal of its building sets to not just adults, but also adults who had no interest in building $1,000-ish Star Wars AT-AT models or 9,090-piece replicas of the Titanic. The intricate sets still had the lasting appeal of building with plastic bricks, but the results were something that looked like genuine home decor, and not something AFOLs (adult fans of Lego) felt they had to hide away in a home office.
The line launched with an elaborate flower bouquet as well as a meticulously pruned bonsai tree, and has since expanded with roses, tulips, sunflowers, and a Bird of Paradise — the largest botanicals set to date. But today, Lego revealed two new additions to the line.
Lego Botanicals Collection Orchid
Orchids are known for their incredibly ornate and beautiful flowers that bloom year after year, and while they have a reputation for being hard to grow and maintain, even amateur botanists can keep them alive with enough patience and attention. For those of us who barely have enough of an attention span to keep ourselves alive and well, Lego’s alternative simply requires an hour of building for a lifetime of blooms.
Planter Included, And Keep an Eye Out For Familiar Parts
Lego claims the design of the blooms is based on an actual species of orchid, and unlike the original flower bouquet set, this one comes in its own planter complete with a pair of wandering air roots sticking out, as most orchids don’t grow in dirt. The plant is also completely posable and customisable, and seasoned Lego builders will find some unorthodox parts usage in this set, including tiny minifigure shields and dinosaur tails used to create lifelike roots.
Lego Botanicals Collection Succulents
There’s also good news for those of you who are such negligent plant parents that you can’t keep succulents alive — which normally just need good soil and a spot in the sun. Lego’s version is based on nine real-life succulent plants, and is created through a variety of building techniques and a wide range of Lego pieces. Even if you don’t water them and forget to open the curtains, they’ll always look as alive and colourful as they did on the day they were first built.
Modular Planters You Can Endlessly Rearrange
Each of the Lego succulents plants also comes in its own 6×6-stud miniature planters that are completely modular. You can re-arrange them however you please, with the containers staying connected through the use of Lego plastic Technics connectors, or you can leave them all separated and spread throughout your home.
Available May 1, Just in Time For Mother’s Day
Both the 771-piece Lego Succulents and 608-piece Lego Orchid sets are available for pre-order through Lego’s website for $89.99 each, with availability officially starting on May 1, exactly a week before Mother’s Day. So instead of grabbing a real bouquet of flowers for mum, why not build your own? She’ll appreciate the gesture, and you’ll have another good reason to buy more Lego.