LEGO Botanical Collection 10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom review

The LEGO Botanical Collection grows stronger every year thanks to sets like 10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom.

Coming in at very affordable prices and offering some of the most artistic and aesthetically pleasing LEGO sets, 10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom well and truly define everything that the LEGO Group’s Botanical Collection has grown into.

We’ve chosen to combine our reviews for this pair of sets because everything we have to say about one very much applies to the other too – this is an exceptional pair of LEGO Icons sets that we wholeheartedly recommend, if looking at them for yourselves wasn’t enough to convince you.

10368 Chrysanthemum Release: August 1, 2024 Price: £24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99 Pieces: 278 Minifigures: 0 LEGO: Order now

10369 Plum Blossom Release: August 1, 2024 Price: £24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99 Pieces: 327 Minifigures: 0 LEGO: Order now

Beauty in nature

10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom represent what the LEGO Group has slowly refined with the Botanical Collection and that stands in 2024 among the best the company can offer its still relatively new 18+ audience. Here are two sets that look relatively simple at face value and in concept, but that are both remarkably complex in parts usage, intricate in overall design and amazingly effective in final appearance.

The end result for both sets is something fascinating and unexpected to build, wholly engrossing throughout, and so beautiful and effective upon completion that you’ll struggle to take your eyes off them.

Making something out of LEGO look like something else is a unique skill at the best of times, but to so accurately and cleverly capture the colour and shape of organic creations such as these eye-catching and one-of-a-kind flowers with LEGO bricks is a true testament to what Icons and its subtheme Botanical Collection is able to offer at the moment. Who knew bananas of three different tones were all you needed to build out the head of a Chrysanthemum?

Composition in compost

Beyond the juxtaposition of something built out of hard, man-made plastic giving the effect of something as soft and natural as flowers, both 10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom are able to work so well thanks to their composition – only a few stems protruding from small vases allowing for just a handful of flowers in each model.

In each case it allows for a nice visual balance to be struck between the smooth, muted symmetry of the pots that they sit in and the asymmetrical, randomised growth of the plants and their bursts of bright colour, whilst accentuating the flowers in a way that they give the stars of the show their best stage. Both models are carefully planned and designed in this way – too much flower, too much height, not enough movement in the stems, too large of a pot and the effect is broken and the artistic nature of the model is lost.

10329 Tiny Plants and 10309 Succulents gave us a taste of individually potted plants, but it is 10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom that lean into the concept and deliver the best balance of build depth and final, displayable model at a size and design that sits well on a shelf or desk and fully justifies your attention every time it catches your eye.

Best value

This composition that is currently unique to 10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom is not only the secret behind why they work so well as models, but also happens to be achieved at low piece counts that unlock excellent value, with both coming in at just under £25.

In a crowded LEGO store this helps these sets justifiably stand out. And while they may not be based on a licence, contain any minifigures or have any play features once built, these are sets truly representative of the best building available from the LEGO Group in 2024 and the fact they come in at the lower end of the price range cannot be overstated.

Offering up an interesting and truly rewarding build experience to create models that are some of the most beautiful to come out of the LEGO Group in recent years, there’s nothing to fault across 10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom. Do not sleep on either of these, pick these flowers.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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Our honest opinion: Wonderfully designed and cleverly thought out, these are LEGO sets fully deserving of the moniker ‘LEGO for adults’, at great value too.