education | Seeds of Design

One of the first things I do on my return home from a trip, be it a few days or some weeks, is to get out into the garden and poke around. What’s in bloom, what’s not, assess the status of how things have withstood my absence and lack of care. I do this with a mixture of trepidation and excitement.

This past Friday was no different. As luck would have it, an early morning flight arrival meant there was plenty of time to unpack, put away, get settled and go survey the garden at leisure. With jet lag being the default gift of a long journey, it really helps to spend time outdoors getting some light and nature therapy.

The sight of the flowers in bloom is uplifting for sure. It gives the immediate reassurance that things are fine. But very quickly, the rampant growth of the plants has me alarmed – the garden has slowly morphed into a jungle! There’s a wildness to it that can only happen when there has been a great deal of rain, high temperature and lack of due diligence.

As I begin my methodical tour of inspection, I note the messiness of the unchecked growth. The aggressive members are stifling the more timid ones. It’ looks like a banner year for slugs – they’re ALL over the place. Ugh.

The persistently high humidity has encouraged mildew and black spot to move in with gusto. I observe a level of tiredness in some plants – as though they’ve been fighting less than ideal conditions for too long. Having myself just endured three weeks of unrelenting monsoon rains and high temperatures, I can totally empathize.

There’s much damage control to be done. Quite frankly, it’s a bit overwhelming. First order of business over the weekend, was to get the weeding done. It just feels good to know something positive has been initiated.

I’m now going to break up the long list of chores into smaller segments and then go about it systematically. There’s much to cut back, thin out, dig up, clean up and tidy. And, I have a deadline.

On August 22, I’m doing a Digger Deeper event for the Garden Conservancy. This is a masterclass of sorts. Informing and instructing, demystifying and sharing certain elements of gardening. In this case, espaliering and vertical gardening will be the two things that will be covered ( or is that uncovered?!).

As we all know, weather wise, it’s been a strange, unpredictable year. Things in the garden have not proceeded according to expectations. That’s something I cannot change. However, I can do everything else to make the attendees have a good experience in the most pleasing, agreeable surroundings.

So without further ado, I’m off to get started. Wish me luck please!

Note: If interested, you can still sign up for this Digging Deeper event. I understand there are a couple of tickets left.

The immediate survey on my return –

Cardinal vine has made it to the top of the pergola and mingling with the wisteria. Hope the hummingbirds are happy!

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Disclaimer! This week’s article is not exactly about gardening. It is however about how my garden and my art have converged to birth a new venture in keeping with my efforts to help a group of HIV girls with their education.

Lately, I’ve been equal parts excited and nervous. In November (that’s tomorrow!), I officially launch “ The Printed Garden” – my new line of soft furnishing products. It’s taken me exactly a year to get to this point. The learning curve has been steep. I’m just fine with the creative aspect but dealing with production and now the marketing has been rather humbling. I came into it knowing virtually nothing. I still have tons to learn but at least I’m beginning to get the hang of it.

The idea of using my botanical watercolors for note cards and giclee prints was sparked by my friend Heidi several years ago. She had a clear vision of the potential of the botanicals. In fact, she printed up the first batch of the cards herself. We are now many, many sets and collections from that initial start and there are more designs in the pipeline. What felt like a novel product to me at that time, feels so natural now. Merci beaucoup Heidi!

From that point, suggestions to get the botanical images on other items kept coming. T-shirts, totes, pillows, table linens, upholstery, dresses, wallpaper, wrapping paper, dinnerware etc., I could see the potential but the work to get any product made was daunting. So, a couple of years back, I began with getting some designs on spoonflower.com. This company gets your designs printed on fabric, wallpaper and wrapping paper on demand. Anybody looking for designs for their own projects can select a design and fabric and then order whatever quantity they require. The choices of fabrics are many and the quality of the cloths as well as the prints are excellent. This got my feet wet in the business. I was still only the creative force and had effectively got Spoonflower to do all the other work.

The next step was to get my own products made and keep manufacturing as well as retail costs reasonable. I needed to be a part of the entire process so the final products would not only be what I could be proud of but would use in my own home. After much research and frustration, I found the company that could print up and make the soft furnishings to my specifications. Production and shipping involve mind-boggling logistics so the first time around takes more time than one imagines. I’m working on the marketing for the long range but currently, I’m in possession of the first shipment of products and I’ll be selling them on-line and at certain private events in November. It’s the kind of market research I can handle. The response thus far has been quite encouraging. I have so many ideas for the future!

So, without further ado, I introduce to you “ The Printed Garden “. That name was suggested by my clever friend Julie. Merci Julie! There are nine botanical images applied to napkins, place-mats, table runners, pillows and guest/tea towels. I’m really pleased with how they look and feel. Many more designs will be forthcoming – I’ve painted so many, many flowers!

Here’s the best part for me – 15% of the profits will be donated to help with the education of the HIV children at the Mukta Jeevan orphanage in India. The better the Printed Garden does, the more the girls will benefit. They are my heart.

I’m sharing some photographs here but will be uploading more images and details to the Shop page in the next couple of days so you can order the products directly from me. They bring a fresh, vibrant aesthetic and will enhance any space – traditional or contemporary. Perfect gifts for weddings, bridal showers, birthdays, host/hostess, housewarmings, holidays, special occasions, no special reason or simply for yourself.

Your feedback is really important because I trust your thoughts. Please send me your comments/suggestions. Do go to the Shop page to get details and more information on the products – it’ll all be there by Thursday November 2, 2017.Thank you!