Just when I thought the supply of pressed ferns from last year’s garden had been depleted, I was walking the perimiter of my (1/4 acre) property and found these great green ferns which had actually thrived all winter, snow and all. They were growing under my hydrangea where I never remember seeing ferns in the past. I could hardly wait to process them and get to work. Here is the first result. I have one double-headed one that will eventually make it into a larger composition. You can see I used the lighter back side of three of the fronds better to show up against the night sky. I’ve already completed the graphic for a companion piece that will have a wintery aspect. Maybe tomorrow. See the rest of this growing collection here.
I think these terrariums that are popping up everywhere look great grouped beneath botanical art!
Wow! I’m seeing terrariums every where these days. Even mainstream retailers like Pottery Barn, West Elm, and CB2 are getting in on the action. What’s a terrarium you ask? Basically it’s a transparent glass container in which plants are grown. It’s also an incredibly budget friendly way to bring color and life to your decor, even if your thumbs are a color other than green. Terrariums can be personalized to fit your design style and are even a fun project to keep the kids occupied on rainy days.
{How to Create Your Own Terrarium}
1. Find yourself a container. Use glass jars, a wine decanter, vases, water pitchers, ball canning jars (you get the idea) that you already have, pick something interesting up from your nearest thrift store, or check out some of the options available from Pottery Barn, West Elm, and CB2.
2. Pick your plants…
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Well, OK, that’s not exactly how the riddle goes. Anyway, here is a blue companion to my earlier black grid with tinted Azalea. A red one is in the works. They’ll look great hung side-by-side. When I have all three ready, I’ll group them as a set in my Etsy shop.
Let’s face it, most gardening is a war against chaos. Maybe that’s why I sometimes have fun creating virtual files as the support for my botanical art. For this one I created colorful compartments for Azaleas (on the left) which I enhanced with a touch of turquoise, ferns at the bottom with a ‘button’ of variegated Euonymus, Parlor Palm as the centerpiece and some inner leaves of Euonymus at the top. If only it would all line up so obediently in my garden.
Like most of what I post here, it will pop up matted and framed in my Etsy shop soon.
I get most of my ideas for graphics in the morning. After finishing this piece it occurred to me it has a bit of an argyle feel. According to Wiki, The argyle pattern is derived from the tartan of Clan Campbell, of Argyll in western Scotland but there is a County Argyle in Ireland so I guess my subconscious is telling me to get ready for the wearing of the green.
I want you back, Helera helix! And it’s almost spring so my wish is about to come true. The other leaves are Euonymus. Try saying either one three times fast! This will be in my Etsy shop in a few days.
While I’m in the mood to organize I’ve lined up some of my winter azalea leaves. I love their little apostrophe shapes. For a little extra interest I’ve added just a touch of pastel color at the stem end of each leaf. While I’m busy de-constructing my plants, buds are forming and my azalea will be in full vibrant bloom in just a couple of months. I’m already working on a companion piece for this one which I’ll put in my shop as soon as it’s ready.
In late fall and winter, the bright yellow edges of Euonymus deepen to gold with a touch of rose. still, the inner leaves which tend to be larger, remain green.
For this simple triptych, I organized some leaves from a single plant against colors which reflect those it shows in winter — yes it stays green and gold all through the winter, blizzards and all!
For each panel, I shuffled the three colors. See close-ups of this one and some other three-panel botanicals at my Etsy shop.

With a fresh batch of dill ready it seemed like a good time to re-visit the world beneath the sea. Who are we to say we’ve seen it all? My fish are, once again azalea and euonymus — both so easy to work with. I wish I could say the same for the dill although I’m becoming an expert with tweezers and I find the non-business end of a paintbrush works as a great tamper without getting in trouble with the adhesive. This one will join two others in my shop. See them framed there. Actually, until the frame goes on you never know — something new could pop up.











