"Nature is never finished." - Robert Smithson

Plants are living organisms existing as a parallel life form. The desire to understand how plants grow and exist is the desire to understand diverse life forms and to understand not only beauty, but also ideas about power, survival and identity. The plant world has villains and freeloaders as well as heros. It can be experienced through many senses beyond the visible. In other words there is a very broad understanding of botanical art and design that makes it difficult to contain or define.

Botanical art and design has traditionally referred to illustration; the representation and classification of nature. But investigation of the botanical world is also carried out through many diverse genres of art practice such as land art, performance, video. Within the field of design sustainable practices consider organic materials and systems as well as produce botanical motifs. Increasing focus on development of ecological awareness and responsibility requires innovation fostered by the practise of exploring our relationships to "the garden" through art, design; and the study of organic processes and the methods of Nature.