Hello,
The house finches nesting in the front garden have fledged — much flapping of little wings and seeming chaos. Not unlike how a group of most young creatures look when they’re running in circles, only with birdsong.
Here in the Pacific Northwest our weather has continued to be much colder than usual, much to everyone’s chagrin.
Pacific Northwest gardeners have raised whining about the weather to a high art. Ours is a seasonal lamentation second only to complaining when summer turns too warm. Call us delicate snowflakes – which brings up yet another weather-related weak spot – we simply want what the rest of you have. Well, not the hurricanes or tornadoes – you can keep those. Not the wicked humidity or epic cold, that would be unthinkable to endure. Still, would it kill the weather gods to grant us a bit of warmth?
You can read my entire post, Weathering Weather, on Garden Rant. No doubt I’ve spoken too soon as warm (read: normal) temperatures are forecast for later this week. But it’s hard to convince my today self wearing a zipped up sweatshirt with freezing fingers and toes that it will be so.
In other less petulant news, I discovered that I’m known as the “coloured square lady” in the UK. This week botanical artist Emma of
asked me a few questions for her Behind the Brush Substack. You can read it here. It’s short and sweet and I’m forever grateful to make the connection.As I mentioned last week, I’m off to the Slow Flowers Summit this weekend for a few days basking in the beauty of blooms. *wink* I hear Banff is quite lovely as well. I’m not what you’d call a natural traveler - in fact I’m downright inelegant when it comes to getting myself to and from a destination. One time I joined a group of garden friends in Austin only to discover when it was time to check in for my return that I had booked a flight home out of Arizona—note to self, Austin is in Texas. Awkward!
I’ll be taking next week off from the newsletter to recharge and rest, sort of like a brief summer vacation. I plan to potter in my garden, eat strawberries, and read, read, read. Reading is the work of a writer — after that you just have to put pen to paper. I’m so glad you’re here,
xo Lorene
Color my World
June 12, 2024
This is the first time in nearly 15 years that I haven’t planted fava beans in my garden. As I’m won’t to say: I have an immodest love for favas. They are a long season crop, 110+ days, with a relatively small yield. But nothing compares to fresh picked fava beans compared to what I can get at the grocery store.
This year I bailed completely on the effort. So I was over the moon to find fresh favas at last week’s West Seattle Farmers’ Market — way earlier than what I’d be picking in my personal garden had I planted.
I have tremendous gratitude for farmers who do the heavy lifting whether I decide to plant or not.
June 13, 2024
If you think about it, blue is everywhere in the natural world. The color is ubiquitous — sky, ocean, rivers and lakes — that it went mostly unnoticed and unnamed for centuries. Hidden in plain sight, as it were. Less than 10% of all flowers are blue, although the mineral world is filled with riches. Most of the blue that we see on butterflies and birds is actually a trick of light refracting off of feathers or cells. It’s almost like blue lives in our head.
Other gardeners, more talented at staking than I, can have their towering blue delphinium, I’ll take my rascally love-in-a-mist any day of the week. The hardy annual continuously reseeds itself about the back garden, moving at will from one side of the yard to the other. This year’s crop has some beautiful true blues along with a fair number of blushed whites — a mix of every color I’ve ever planted.
Nigella damascena is a resilient, carefree hardy annual. It’s a great cut flower too. And, like N. sativa, the black seed is edible.
June 14, 2024
The roses are coming in strong and I’m hoping that the thorn buried in my left thumb will work its way out. Maybe I need a mouse to extract it as in the old folk story.
June 15, 2024
And that my friends is a strawberry living its best life. Fragrant, still dusted with soil from the open air field it came from, ruby red to its core and deeply delicious.
Biting into the berry before painting its portrait, deep pink juices spattered on my watercolor paper. That’s either cheating or being led. You decide.
June 16, 2024
For the fathers. Common garden sage (Salvia officinalis)
June 17, 2024
Flight school
It’s go time for the house finches nesting in the front garden. Much fluttering and awkward waving of wings. There are so many fledglings, I have to think there must be more than one nest in the thuja hedge. It’s thrilling to be here on this day of creation.
Nasturtiums look a bit bird like. Maybe more like butterflies with their crumpled petals. I pamper this volunteer bronze seedling that showed up in a large trough on the back stoop.
June 18, 2024
It’s like a riddle told in color… When the Geranium Pink geranium blooms it’s time to break out my Nicholson’s Peerless Water Color sheets and use my favorite Geranium Pink color. A perfect match, no mixing required, as seen above right.
Last chance!
A friendly reminder, you only have until the end of this month (6/30/24) to get free access to my Color In and Out of the Garden daily practice series on Creativebug. You’ll get 31 short video lessons on mixing colors and paying attention to the natural world. Here’s a list of other free classes you can also explore through the end of June. Creativebug is where I go to fill up my tank when I need inspiration.
Creativebug
Working with Creativebug is one of my favorite ways to create. As I mentioned above, through the end of June you can view all 31 chapters of my Color class for free. Last month I wrote an essay about the origin of my color practice for the Creativebug blog. I’ve also put together a collection of Creativebug classes called Cultivate a Colorful Life.
Infuse your days with color and sharpen your observation skills. Whether you’re looking to develop a daily practice, hone your watercolor skills, or simply want to play with color, these classes will show you how to make time to make art — best of all, they’re all beginner friendly.
I also filmed a Garden Journaling class about several different ways you can keep track of your garden, from plotting winter dreams on paper to busy-season stash and go.
As a Creativebug instructor I receive a small commission when you use my links. Feel free to share.
“Coloured square lady” might just need to be on your business card 😍
CSL! Of course! So thrilled that your talents keep getting the accolades they deserve. Brava.