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.
“Spring Flower Pressing: A Two-Part Botanical Workshop”
with Connie McLeod
Saturday, April 18, 2026 | 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 9, 2026 | 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Celebrate the beauty of spring through the art of botanical pressing in this two-part workshop led by Baton Rouge botanical artist Connie McLeod. Participants will begin by exploring the arboretum landscape to gather seasonal flowers, leaves, and other plant materials suitable for pressing. During the first session, Connie will introduce the techniques of selecting plant material and assembling a traditional flower press so that participants can begin preserving their collected specimens.
At the second session, participants will return to work with their dried plant materials, learning how to arrange and mount pressed flowers to create a finished botanical artwork suitable for framing or gifting. The workshop offers a relaxed and creative opportunity to slow down, observe the details of seasonal plant life, and translate those observations into lasting botanical art.
All materials will be provided, and no prior experience is necessary.
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, pressing flowers, petals, and leaves from her garden and from friends’ gardens throughout the community. Connie is both a Louisiana Master Gardener and a Louisiana Master Naturalist.
Registration: $60 Hilltop Members / $75 General Public
Space is limited; Advance registration is required.
Art & Wellness Program Details
Spring Flower Pressing: A Two-Part Botanical Workshop
Sat., April 18, 2026 | 2-4pm
Sat., May 9, 2026 | 2-4pm