Why Hello There

how have you been? no really...

Hello,

A warm welcome to new subscribers – it’s been a minute, so I thought that I should (re)introduce myself.

I’m Lorene Edwards Forkner, a gardener who writes and an artist who gardens and cooks and writes. I’ve been married to my love for damn near 45 years (!?! — child bride, obviously) I am mama to two wonderful adults and Nana to twin littles who are five — “Five and a half, Nana!” We can’t wait to welcome Ruby, our latest little, later this summer.

I’m the author of several books, including Color In and Out of the Garden, part memoir, part storytelling, part plant-y/paint-y and 100% colorful. It’s a book about plants and color and being mindful.

For the past seven years I have maintained a color study practice recording the colors I find in my garden and beyond in the natural world; rocks, feathers, driftwood, shells, anything and everything that captures my fancy. Swatching colors is not botanical illustration, it’s an exercise in learning to see. In that way color is my mantra, a willful distraction I use to cultivate attention. I’m so glad you’re here.

xo Lorene

---

Please note: I’m headed to Austin so I’m taking a week off from writing. There will be wildflowers and gardens, painting sessions, and no doubt lots of talk and laughter. In the meantime, I encourage you to dig around in the archives. All subscribers can read everything posted within the past four weeks. Paid subscribers have access to all archived content.

---

---

Online Learning with Creativebug

I’m thrilled to have been invited to film classes with Creativebug, an online learning platform where you can stream a multitude of fun and engaging classes on art & design, sewing, crafts and garden making. Check out my content — and get a free 60-day trial — when you follow the links below.

As a Creativebug instructor I receive a small commission when you use my links to explore the site — feel free to share with others!

---

Let’s Color

‘Brown Sugar’ is one of my favorite tulips. It’s also very reliable and returns each year, probably because the beds where it’s planted get little to no irrigation over the summer.

Euphorbia rigida wearing its ‘Brown Sugar’ tulip costume.

My one-woman pansy festival continues. The plants that came through the winter are stretching which allows me to harvest their long stems for pansy posies all over the house.

Not an orange tulip. You can’t fool me! I didn’t just fall off the bulb catalog cart yesterday you know. I’m enjoying the blooms even though the bulbs aren’t what I ordered a year ago, and planted last fall.

These are deep water days. Wear a life jacket. Learn to float.

As they age, hyacinths relax their stiff posture and settle into more elegant lines.