being — Washington D.C.

Flower Dots

How does a landscape
architecture firm bring the joy of plants and design to more people?

Flower Dots are a simplified planting experience intended to introduce a larger audience to the experience of growing flowers.

Designed in collaboration with a graphic design firm, the tubes feature bold graphics and clear instructions on how, where, and when to plant bulbs. The instructions encourage various in-ground arrangements making participation in landscape design accessible and hands-on.

Flower Dots are for everyone. Dots can be planted in a pot on a balcony or as a part of a large layered bed.

Photos by Ashton Design & Moody Graham Landscape Architecture

How does a landscape
architecture firm grow an idea?

Flower Dots began as an autum gift to clients and collaborators. In the first year, five varieties of bulbs were selected, each presented in a unique package. Daffodils, tulips and alliums were chosen.

In the second iteration, Flower Dots expanded to include more species and curated pairings. Additionally, a special edition was designed for children.

Flower Dots continue to be distributed as gifts to clients, architects, and other collaborators. This low-cost way to encourage the act of planting holds potential. Plans to expand the collection and to reach an even broader audience are underway.

Three Flower Dots bulb tubes in black with orange, purple and red lids

Year 1

Flower Dots label artwork for twenty allium bulbs, Allium violet beauty, with planting instructions on a purple panel

Flower Dots label artwork for twenty daffodil bulbs, Narcissus february gold, with planting instructions on an orange panel

Flower Dots label artwork for a second daffodil variety with planting instructions and planting depth diagrams

Flower Dots label artwork for twenty tulip bulbs, Queen of the Night and Sanderis, with planting instructions

Flower Dots packaging graphic: a full purple circle for the allium variety

Flower Dots packaging graphic: a full orange circle for the february gold daffodil

Flower Dots packaging graphic for Narcissus mount hood, set in a thin outlined circle on white

Flower Dots packaging graphic for bumble bee swarm, Tulipa Queen of the Night and Tulipa Sancerre, in a black and orange circle

Two Flower Dots tubes and a red impression lid arranged on a dotted grey backdrop

A Flower Dots tube opened on a paving slab with red tissue and loose tulip bulbs spilling out

A single Flower Dots tube standing on paving, red impression lid facing the camera

A crate of loose bulbs beside stacked Flower Dots tubes during packing

Flower Dots tubes seen from above, violet beauty lids massed together

The red instruction label from a Flower Dots tube, with planting depth and spacing diagrams

The full year one Flower Dots range: nine coloured lids above a stack of black tubes

Playful packages that each contain 20 bulbs.
Collaboration with graphic designers yielded a bold yet approachable container.
Ten simple steps guide planting, encourage design exploration, and describe what to expect when working with bulbs.

Year one packaging layout for a red impression tulip mix, showing the label artwork beside bulb photographs

Year 2

Year two Flower Dots packaging artwork for twilight, forty bulbs, with an orange instruction panel and hashtag lid

Tulipa batalini Bright Gem & Anemone blanda Windflower Mixture

Year two Flower Dots packaging artwork for sunshower, thirty bulbs, with a blue instruction panel and hashtag lid

Narcissus Sunlight Sensation & Muscari sp. The Magical Muscari Mixture

Year two Flower Dots packaging artwork for parade, thirty bulbs, with a red lid

Muscari aucheri Blue Magic & Tulipa greigii Pinocchio

Year two Flower Dots packaging artwork for starstruck, thirty bulbs, with a pink lid

Allium Globemaster & Anemone blanda Pink Star

A year two Flower Dots tube in unbleached card lying on grass

A year two Flower Dots tube standing against a rough white wall

The blue instruction label from a year two Flower Dots tube, with planting depth and spacing diagrams

Each flower dot package contained a curated pair of bulbs to plant together.
Seven simple steps guide planting, describe the soil requirements of the bulbs, and
communicate the requirements for the maintenance of these perennial plants.
The ‘Sprinkles’ special edition introduces children to the wonder of plants.

Year two Flower Dots packaging artwork for sprinkles, twenty five tulip bulbs, with hand drawn planting illustrations

Plant & Bloom!

Grape hyacinth in flower along a fence, dense blue spikes from bulbs planted the previous autumn

Yellow daffodils in full flower, close up against a soft green background

Purple allium heads massed in bloom in a border

A row of pale yellow tulips just opening, photographed against black

Yellow tulips fully open, petals reflexed back

A parent and small child planting Flower Dots bulbs together in a garden bed

"...we are human in good part
because of the particular way we
affiliate with other organisms…
To the extent that each person
can feel like a naturalist, the old
excitement of the untrammeled
world will be regained…Splendor
awaits in minute proportions."

- E.O. Wilson, Biophilia

Type

Being

Location

Washington D.C.

Project Collaborators

Ashton Design

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609 H Street NE
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 543-1286
info@moodygraham.com