DIY Paper Plants: Mini Tropical House Plants with Free Printables

Create adorable DIY paper plants using printable tropical leaf templates inspired by vintage botanical illustrations. A fun budget craft for adults and teens!

If you’ve ever fancied filling your home with leafy tropical houseplants but lack the green fingers—or simply the patience—then this DIY paper plant craft is just the thing. Not only are these little beauties fun to make, but they’re also wonderfully budget-friendly, especially if you make your tiny pots from bottle lids or bits and bobs lying around. Plus, the printable leaf templates are entirely free to download, so you’ve already got a head start.

It’s a brilliant craft for adults and teens alike—one of those relaxing, cut-and-stick paper crafts you can enjoy on a quiet afternoon with a cuppa. I love how it gives a fresh new life to vintage botanical illustrations.

The designs originate from Shirley Hibberd’s stunning 19th-century collection of house plant leaves, created for scientific plant studies. They’re detailed, elegant, and full of character, which makes them perfect for crafting something a little different and decorative. And the best part? No watering, no wilting, and no guilt for forgetting them on a windowsill!

What You’ll Need

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• Free printable leaf templates (downloadable below)
• Cutting mat and paper cutting pen
• Craft glue
• Thin green floristry wire (26 gauge)
• Green Sharpie or marker
• Scissors
• Champagne corks or plasticine
• Awl or metal skewer (to poke holes)
• Mini terracotta pots—or get creative with homemade ones!

Free Printable DIY Plant Templates

Click on the free printable paper plant template you’d like to use below, and it will open in a new tab. You can then print or save that image. There are five different tropical plant designs to choose from, each including a selection of coordinating leaves, both the tops and matching mirror-image undersides.

You can use as many leaves as you like to create your mini plant, but I find that five gives a lovely full look without being too crowded.

1. Calladium Belleymii
2. Calladium Mirabile
3. Cissus Porphyrophllas
4. Red Nerve Plant
5. Croton Irreculare

For this tutorial, I chose the Calladium Mirabile.

How to Make a Mini DIY Paper Plant

Step 1. Print and Cut the Leaves: Start by printing the template for your chosen tropical plant. There are 6–8 leaves per plant, with slight variations in shape and size to maintain a realistic appearance. Cut them out using a craft knife or paper cutting pen.

Step 2. Assemble the Leaves: Each leaf has a front and back. Glue them together with a piece of floristry wire sandwiched in between.

Step 3. Edge Finishing: Using scissors, trim away any remaining bits that were missed when cutting out the leaves. Then, use a green Sharpie to colour the edges of the leaves, hiding any white areas left behind. This tiny step makes a big difference!

Step 4. Prepare the Base: Cut a champagne cork in half and poke five holes in the top using an awl or a skewer. Thread the leaves and fan them out until your mini plant starts to take shape.

Step 5. Pot Them Up: Place the cork into a tiny terracotta pot. Or, if you’re going full-on thrifty, use a bottle top wrapped in twine or fabric—anything goes! Plasticine also works as a brilliant base to hold your wires in place.

Potting Alternatives & Display Ideas

Of course, part of the fun with these mini DIY paper plants is how you pot them up—and you don’t have to stick with terracotta, unless you want to. Here are a few alternative ideas that are both budget-friendly and add a lovely handmade touch:

1. Bottle Top Boho Pots
If you’ve got a stash of plastic bottle tops lying around (who doesn’t?), they make brilliant little plant pots. Just grab a glue gun and wrap them neatly with twine or jute string for an adorable mini boho-style planter. You could even add a tiny tag or charm for extra flair. These work exceptionally well if you’re looking for a rustic, earthy appearance.

2. Painted Terracotta Pots
Terracotta is classic, but there’s no reason you can’t give it a glow-up. Use acrylic paint to colour block or go bold, then add details and patterns with acrylic paint markers. Dots, leaves, stripes, or even mini faces—anything goes! It’s a great way to personalise your plant and match your décor.

3. Display Under a Cloche
If you’re making a few of these mini tropical beauties (and trust me, once you start, you won’t want to stop), try displaying them together under a glass cloche or dome. It transforms your paper plants into a lovely little indoor jungle scene and gives them that curated, botanical museum feel. Perfect for styling a side table or mantle, and no one will believe they’re made of paper!

More Lovely Leafy Makes You’ll Enjoy

If you’re as hooked on faux foliage crafts as I am, you might want to check out some of the other plant-inspired projects on the blog. One of my favourites is the DIY felt succulent garden, where I created a whole tray of succulents from felt scraps, perfect for adding soft, green texture without a drop of water in sight.

There is also my mini plastic bottle succulents made with the same cork base in mini terracotta pots.

Then there’s the DIY tropical leaf plant, which uses bold paper leaves that make a statement in a vase—ideal if you’re after something a bit more dramatic.

If you love the look of tall, structured greenery, the faux snake plant might be more your thing. It’s made from denim, but styled to look just like a real sansevieria—without the hassle. And most recently, I had a lot of fun making papier-mâché painted flowers, shaping them from cardboard and newspaper, and then painting them in vibrant colours. They pair beautifully with these paper plants for a full-blown, entirely handmade, and unique floral display.

Whether you’re in it for the crafting joy, the love of vintage design, or want something leafy and low-maintenance to cheer up your shelf, this DIY paper plant project ticks all the boxes. It’s simple, fun, and a bit addictive—so don’t be surprised if you end up with a whole forest of them!