 The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive toolbox for interdisciplinary teams working on biomimetic material systems. It outlines principles that can lead to increased robustness and resilience of these systems, which are inspired by biological models such as plants. These principles include gradients, redundancy, and self-repair, which can be used to improve the performance of biomimetic material systems over time. Additionally, the review includes a glossary of key terms to help facilitate communication among different disciplines. This article was authored by Max D. Milo and Olga Speck.