From Page to Petal: Introducing the Plantable Paper Collection
From Page to Petal: Introducing the Plantable Paper Collection
There's a particular kind of magic in an object that isn't meant to last forever — one that's designed, instead, to become something else.
That's the idea behind our Plantable Collection: sketchbooks and notebooks made from handmade cotton seed paper, embedded with real seeds. Once you're finished writing or sketching, you tear up the cover, archive the pages you want to keep, and plant the rest under an inch of soil.
What Is Plantable Seed Paper?
Plantable cotton seed paper is handmade in Canada, and embedded with one of three seed types, depending on the piece:
- Wildflowers (a mixed annual/perennial blend)
- Herbs (basil)
- Vegetables (carrot, tomato, lettuce)
All seeds are native to Canada. Once you're finished with a page — or an entire notebook — you can plant it indoors or outdoors and watch it become something living.
How to plant it:
- Tear or cut the paper into smaller pieces if you'd like faster, more even germination.
- Plant under about 1/8 inch of soil.
- Water thoroughly.
- Place in a sunny spot.
- Keep the soil moist while the seeds germinate.
That's it. No special equipment, no complicated process — just like the bookbinding process, it is a return to basic materials and tools, paper and thread, or, in this case, for the plantable process: paper, soil, water, and light.
The Collection
Plantable Watercolour Sketchbooks (Large / Small) Watercolour paper inside, plantable seed paper cover. Good for studies, warm-ups, or any painting practice you don't need to keep forever.
Plantable Cotton Notebooks (Large / Pocket) Our most popular plantable piece — simple, sewn, and sized for everyday carry.
Plantable Button and String Notebooks (Large / Pocket) Same plantable cover, closed with a button-and-string tie for anyone who likes a little ritual in opening their notebook.
Plantable Veggie & Herb Notebooks (Large / Pocket) For anyone who'd rather grow dinner than flowers — basil, carrot, tomato, or lettuce seeds embedded in the cover.
Limited Edition | Maple Leaf Notebooks & Sketchbooks (Notebooks / Sketchbook) A seasonal maple leaf design on the same plantable paper base — while supplies last.
You can browse the full, current lineup — including availability — on the Plantable Collection page.
What's in the Wildflower Blend
If you're working with our wildflower paper, here's what you're actually planting:
- Bird's Eye – Annual
- Clarkia – Annual
- Black-Eyed Susan – Perennial
- Catchfly – Annual
- Snapdragon – Annual
- Sweet Alyssum – Annual
It's a mix designed to bloom in stages, with the perennial Black-Eyed Susan returning year after year while the annuals fill in around it.
A quick but important note: this blend is considered non-invasive in North America. It's monitored by both the USDA and the CFIA, and continually tested by a Canadian partner to make sure it stays that way. So if you're planting outdoors, you can do so knowing the seeds won't crowd out native species or disrupt the local ecosystem — they're meant to belong there.
Why We Make These
I think a lot about objects and artistic expression as autobiography — the idea that what we make and keep says something about who we are and what we value in a given moment.
Most of what I make leans into that permanence: archival materials, traditional bookbinding, things built to outlast the person who made them.
Plantable paper contains this permanence and impermanence at once, and I love that about it.
It's not asking to be preserved. It's asking to be used up — filled with your thinking, your sketches, your expressive ideas — and then released back into soil, where it becomes something else entirely. After filling your notebook with pages of notes, the cover can become basil on your windowsill. A sketchbook cover becomes a small patch of wildflowers.
There's something honest about that cycle. Not everything we make needs to last forever to have mattered.
Working It Into Your Practice
A few ways people use the Plantable Collection:
- As a low-stakes sketchbook — perfect for warm-ups, studies, or anything you don't need to keep long-term, while also containing archival-quality inner pages that can be kept long-term, while the inner pages can be recycled and covers can be planted!
- As a journaling notebook — write freely, without the pressure of permanence or preciousness.
- As a gift — especially nice for someone who gardens, cooks, or just likes the idea of a notebook that can be returned to the earth, and used anew.
- As a teaching tool — a lovely, tactile way to introduce kids to both writing/drawing and as a way to promote sustainability: where their food or flowers come from, and lifecycle of a product and promote mindful consumption.
Whatever page you fill, the next step is the same: tear it out, plant it, water it, and see what grows.
Plantable Paper FAQ
Do I need to plant the whole notebook, or just the cover? Just the cover and any pages made of the plantable seed paper. If your notebook has separate interior pages (like the watercolour sketchbooks), keep or archive those as you normally would — it's the seed paper itself that goes in the soil.
Can I plant it indoors? Yes. Indoors or outdoors both work, as long as the spot gets good sunlight and you can keep the soil consistently moist during germination.
Will the wildflower blend take over my garden? No. The wildflower blend is considered non-invasive in North America by both the USDA and the CFIA, and it's continually tested by a Canadian partner to confirm that. It's safe to plant outdoors without worrying about it crowding out native species.
What seeds are in the wildflower blend? Bird's Eye, Clarkia, Black-Eyed Susan, Catchfly, Snapdragon, and Sweet Alyssum. All but the Black-Eyed Susan (a perennial) are annuals, so expect a full bloom the first year with the Black-Eyed Susan returning in following seasons.
How long does it take to germinate? This varies by seed type and growing conditions, but keeping the soil consistently moist (not soggy) and the paper in a sunny spot gives you the best chance of even, timely germination.
Is the paper itself compostable if I don't want to plant it? The paper is made from cotton, so it will break down naturally, but planting it is the whole point — you'll get much more out of it in a pot or garden bed than in a compost bin.
Where is the paper made? Handmade in Canada, using seeds native to Canada.
Can I write on it with any pen? Yes — it behaves like a textured cotton paper. Fountain pens, gel pens, and pencil all work well; very wet ink may take a moment longer to dry given the paper's texture.
Explore the full Plantable Collection — sketchbooks and notebooks in watercolour, cotton, button-and-string, and veggie & herb varieties, handmade in Canada.
Stay creative.
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