Art & Wellness Series

The LSU Hilltop Arboretum Art & Wellness Series invites the community to experience the landscape as both classroom and creative space. Through sensory-based and participatory programs, visitors engage the arboretum by slowing down, observing seasonal change, and interacting directly with the natural environment. By connecting horticulture, landscape design, and human experience, the series expands Hilltop’s role as a living laboratory while offering accessible opportunities for reflection, creativity, and personal wellbeing.

Fall Flower Pressing: A Two-Part Botanical Workshop

pressed flowers in a clear frameWith botanical artist Connie McLeod

Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 2:00–4:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 7, 2026 | 2:00–4:00 p.m.

Celebrate the beauty and color of fall through the art of botanical pressing. During the first session, participants will forage for flowers and foliage in Hilltop’s meadow, which will be blooming with swamp sunflowers, goldenrod, blue mistflower, and ironweed—a lovely palette of yellows, blues, and purples.

Connie will demonstrate how to select plant material and assemble a traditional flower press so participants can preserve their collected specimens. During the second session, participants will return with their dried materials and learn how to arrange and mount them to create a finished botanical artwork suitable for framing or gifting.

All materials will be provided, and no prior experience is necessary. Registration includes both sessions; participants should plan to attend both dates.

Cost: $60 Hilltop Members / $75 General Public
Location: LSU Hilltop Arboretum
Space is limited, and advance registration is required.

Connie McLeod in front of plantsAbout the Instructor

Connie McLeod is a Baton Rouge native and LSU graduate who recently retired from a career as an art director. She has transformed her love of design and gardening into a practice of botanical art using pressed flowers, petals, and leaves. Connie is both a Louisiana Master Gardener and a Louisiana Master Naturalist.

Art & Wellness Program Details

Fall Flower Pressing: A Two-Part Botanical Workshop
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Saturday, November 7, 2026
2:00-4:00pm

Registration

Questions? Email or call 225-767-6916.