New Print by Angie Lewin

I've been following Angie Lewin for awhile. I just love the way she combines colors, and captures the essence of flowers and garden scenes so perfectly. As a fellow gardener, I love her newest piece, "Autumn Garden, Norfolk". It depicts a different, rarer side of fall - not the familiar, blazing trees and leaves but the other, humbler plants still living. You see the last of the flowers blooming, like the sunflowers here, and other plants going to seed and becoming bare skeletons. I really love the poppy seed pods in this. They remind me of my grandmother's garden.

See "Autumn Garden, Norfolk" larger here, and more of Angie's prints via St. Jude's Prints here!

Summer's Almost Here - With a Heatwave!

It's been already awfully warm for May, hasn't it? And now we're supposed to get 90 degree humid weather for the next four days here in Boston! Just thinking about it makes me start sweating. The only relief I'm getting is thinking of all the farmers' markets starting soon and how I can't wait to get my hands on peaches like these beauties from The Comfort of Cooking! (Check out her blog when you get a chance, she has amazing recipes and lovely photos.) I'm looking forward to apricots, Shiro plums (they have sweet flesh but very tart skins - and a really short season!), gooseberries, currants, and blueberries as well from local farms.

Another consolation is that the mild temperatures have allowed us to plant our garden a little earlier than usual. We've already got lettuce, beets, radishes, and peas in the ground! I was planning on seeding the flower garden this weekend, but I'll probably have to hope that next weekend is cooler and wait until then. So far in that garden, we have a lot of red currants ripening. They're safely protected by netting so we don't share them with all the birds in the area! Last year they ate all but two or three before we got a chance to cover them.

If you're having hot weather as well, I hope you stay cool. And if not, get out and enjoy the cool spring air before summer comes!

Mason Bee Houses from WudwerxUSA

A mason bee house is a great tool for pollinating the flowers and vegetables in your summer garden! This type of structure is favored by non-aggressive mason and leafcutter bees and also provides a home for helpful insects over the winter.

This version is handmade by WudwerxUSA. See more of their creations here!

Herb Chart by Amy Borrell

I came across this colorful, charming print by Amy Borrell today and it seemed perfect for this time of year! As the garden is full of ready-to-be-picked produce, the kitchen is currently strewn with bundles and bundles of herbs from the back garden hanging up to dry.

See more her smile-inducing illustrations here!

Bugs & Botany

The scattered thunderstorms we've been having all week are halting the progress in the garden, but the plot is still slowly-but-surely coming along. A new fence and raised beds are next on the list, and then I can start planting!

In celebration of all the lovely blooms to come and the helpful insects that pollinate them, I've posted some of my favorite selections from Sad Ferret's "Bugs & Botany" set on Flickr!

They look like modern versions of old botanic prints to me, and I love the combination of bright, colorful flower photos and antique insect images and textures.

How are your gardens and flowers coming along?

Spring Gardening

Hope you all had a restful, wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! Spring is definitely here in the city, although it feels more like summer these days. I even had to put the air conditioner in before June 1st!

Posting will be a bit light this week as I scramble to plant the garden before it heats up too much, in between tending to my shop and working on new prints.

In the meantime, check here to see what's new!