Best Plants for Eco Printing (Free List)

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What are the best leaves and flowers for eco or botanical printing? Here is a free plant list of materials that make great eco prints on paper and fabric.

That is the question I am often asked when it comes to this natural dyeing technique. And while I can give you a pretty good list, the answer is also “It depends”.

For instance, some leaves print great on watercolor paper but not on cotton fabric. Some only print on silk fabric but not rayon.

One of the most important criteria is what kind of material you are printing on: namely protein or cellulose.

This article is focused on the leaves and flowers that make good botanical prints. Have a look at this article for all of my tips and tricks.

Which plant materials make good prints?

While there are nuances when it comes to which leaves and flowers work well on what materials, one thing is pretty certain: plant materials that contain natural tannins generally work better than those that do not have tannins.

These include:

Oaks
Maples
Walnuts
Staghorn Sumac
Willow
Eucalyptus
Rhubarb

Some other plants that I, personally, have had a lot of success with include:

Roses (flowers and leaves)
Gerbera Daisies (flowers and leaves)
Garlic Mustard (leaves)
Wild Asparagus (leaves)
Blackberry (leaves)
Four O’Clocks (flowers and leaves)
Willow Oak (leaves)
Wild Grape (leaves)
Tulip Poplar (leaves)

Please note, this is by no means a comprehensive list all the leaves and flowers for this dyeing technique!

I always encourage my students to experiment with whatever trees, shrubs, vegetable plants, native flowers and weeds that happen to grow near you.

This is merely meant to be a good place for beginners to start. You can get your free plant list below:

yellow maple leaf with brown leaves in the background

What else do I need to make leaf prints?

So, as I said above, the type of material you are printing on is one element that affects whether or not you get a good print.

In addition, you need to appropriately mordant your chosen surface, you must use a printable leaf or flower and the way you bundle and process all play an important role.

Which materials work best for eco printing?

Since this is a natural dyeing technique, as a general rule, protein fibers take natural dyes (including prints) better than cellulose fibers (assuming correct mordanting, bundling and processing)

➤ Protein fiber comes from animals and include sheep wool, alpaca and silk.

➤ Cellulose fiber comes from plant materials and include cotton, bamboo and linen.

Do I need to mordant my materials?

While mordanting is not absolutely necessary, appropriate mordanting can greatly improve the strength, detail and clarity of leaf and flower prints. Some common mordants include alum and soy milk.

Note: some mordants are TOXIC! Do your homework before trying any substance.

What are modifiers and are they necessary?

Modifiers are not required, however they can strengthen and deepen your plant prints.

Liquid iron, for instance, deepens, darkens and “saddens” many dyes. The images below show you the difference between leaves printed with an iron modifier (top) and without (bottom).

Want to learn how to Eco Print on Paper? Have a look at this complete e-course that is perfect for beginners

Please note: I will be updating this list in the future so you may want to bookmark this article and check back. I hope this list is helpful to you!

For more information on plants that contain natural tannin, see this article from the US Forest Service.

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