It’s about time I revealed this little obsession of mine. I love botanical prints, the more scientific and instructional the better, and they’re finally back in style. Moving away from simple outlines and bold floral forms, botanical prints are all about the details. Roots, stems, stamens, offshoots – these are flowers as they really look, in all their glory.

Line drawings rendered with a thin-tipped pen and depth created by washes of ink are characteristic of original prints, with aged paper and slightly faded colours lending them a stylish vintage edge. But this is a style that’s quite easy to fake (which is lucky, since genuine prints are a bit pricey) as more designers and artists have started replicating vintage styles.

You can have botanical wallpaper, tote bags, stationary, ceramics, bed sheets…. I like the traditional print though. A collection of differently sized and shaped prints hung in frames on one wall make a beautiful statement. One of the best places to get antique and vintage-style botanical prints is Potobello market. From small, aged black and white sketches to large, colourful framed prints, they’re all there for the taking.

It’s the attention to detail that makes old-fashioned botanical pictures such as pleasure. The characteristics and tendencies of each flower is lovingly communicated, often including sketches of the bulbs and seeds and post-flowering form. A beautiful timeline of your favourite flowers makes a great edition to your decor.

UPDATE: Like a fool I went and deleted some of my posts accidentally. I am reposting the ones I could salvage, more for my own reference than because I think the world needs them, but I have lost a few links. The photos here aren’t mine, but I think they’re lovely. If they’re yours, just let me know!

Flowers as soft and sweet as icing, in delicate hues of pink, white and lemon. Yum.