Buddlejas are great for bringing butterflies and bees to your garden. I have just found out that there is a new variety which has spires which blend from purple to orange. It is called Buddleja Daidii.
27th April
These Tulips inspire me to create tie-dye fabric designs.
26th April
It's my Birthday today. I went to see Hockney's life work at Tate Britain with my Mum and Dad. My Mum gave me these Lilly of the Valley flowers that she grew. They smell devine.
25th April
Just look at this colour! Irises are stunning.
24th April
This blossom has such a great texture. Ideal for inspiring floral embroidery to add interest and volume to a summer design.
23rd April
This weekend we went to my cousin's wedding in Surrey. One of the best things about English countryside is wild cow parsley.
22nd April
Our neighbor's Wysteria is looking pretty fantastic right now.
21st April
I like the way this photograph looks almost like a crop of a floral chintz pattern. (Thanks to Fleur for introducing me to Snapseed. The photo editing app. gave me the ability to quickly transform my picture from a dull, drab image into a bright and cheery one.)
20th April
Chrysanthemums can be super simple and phenomenally fancy. I love these flowers.
19th April
Tulip bulbs were so valuable to the Dutch in the Golden Age that they were bought on contract and could be used instead of money.
18th April
It is bluebell season! There was a bluebell wood in East Ashling where I would ride and my Mum would walk our dog. Those were great times.
17th April
Pleniflora represents Easter to me. As a child my Mum would make a flower arrangement with it at this time each year.
16th April
Saxifraga is an alpine plant which forms a carpet of green. I had it in a pot but it was not happy. My partner planted it in the flower bed and now it is full of colour again.
15th April
1 O'clock, 2 O'clock, 3 O'clock....
I wonder why children use Dandylions as a clock? Lucienne Day created an interior textile called Dandylion Clocks (1953) for Heal's. I was lucky enough to see the print displayed at the Fashion Textile Museum about 5 years ago. Interestingly I just found out that she lived until the age of 93 having retired to my home town of Chichester. Shame I never met her.
14th April
Rhodedendrons are either a spring or autumn variety. These spectacular spring flowers were in our neighbours front garden.
13th April
This tree bark makes me think how camouflage prints for army wear may have been inspired by the natural patterns on tree trunks.
12th April
Being a big fan of Gardeners World I have learn a few important rules of gardening. One of them is undulation and here we have a great example of this.
11th April
Here's another natural pattern. Ivy inspires me to do multipal methods of line drawing. The natural shapes and outlines of this photo offer endless designs.
10th April
Some plants just create there own fantastic pattern.
9th April
This leaf is a beautiful colour. It sprang from a small branch on the tree trunk behind it.