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.
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.
Gardening doesn’t come to a halt just because snow covers the ground. I have houseplants that stay indoors year round but not many. Most of them summer on my deck. I gave my parlor palm a little pruning several weeks ago with a selfish motive in mind. Here is the first result. I have several more fronds in process, but the plant continues to flourish so it’s win-win during the dormant season.
See more in my Etsy shop, My Stonington Garden.
P.S. The little guy at the bottom of this piece is a snippet from my Andromeda tree which is still lying on its side having been felled by the blizzard of ’13. A master gardener from the University of Rhode Island has advised that I wait until spring and hope it springs back. Fingers crossed.
After creating the simple graphic for this uber-formal flower, I added a few touches of color to the ‘petals’ of yellow archangel to pull it all together. See more in my Etsy Shop, also called My Stonington Garden
I enjoyed the process of designing yesterday’s Mexican Feather Grass collage so much that I thought it was worthy of a series. Two down and probably two more to go. A grouping of four would be nice. The possible color combinations are endless. Unfortunately, the supply of pressed grass — at least for the moment — is not.
While this beautiful grass with its ethereal feel lends itself to simple presentations, mounting it can be tricky. For most botanicals, I use an acid free, diluted white glue which I apply with a brush. Not possible with Mexican feather grass — Nassella tenuissima. The threadlike strands that hold the slightly heavier seed pods easily become tangled and bunched-up if disturbed. As a result, I must use a spray adhesive while holding the stem aloft and then mount it in one try. Careful work with tweezers allows for minor adjustments, then — voila — success or back to the drawing board with fresh graphics and fresh grass. This one cooperated sweetly.
If you’d like to see more, I have a different series of these listed at my Etsy shop at http://alturl.com/mk23o
The day before yesterday, I promised an update on this image when I decided what plant to use for the ‘bottom feeders’ in my second underwater fantasy in what is so far a series of 2. I needed something small enough to display as a ‘school’ within the composition but different in some way from my pastel-tinted azalea. Ultimately, I settled on Eunonynus.
After playing with wave and color effects, I was reminded of the sea so I checked my inventory of dried plants and selected dill as the main plant. To this I added a few curving fern leaflets and a ‘school’ of azalea leaves. My husband was reminded of winter instead because he thought the ‘bubbles’ looked like snow. That’s the beauty of fantasy. Everyone creates his or her own.
Meanwhile, I think I’ll pay more attention to my husband’s herb garden next season.
My Stonington Garden 
