If you’re in the northern hemisphere, zone 5 – 7, you may have noticed violets starting to emerge in March; their leaves first, followed by pale blue or purple flowers in the coming weeks. While some lawn enthusiasts may think of violets as weeds, it is important to note that these amazing plants host Fritillary butterflies. The beauty and ecological function of native violets always make them a welcome guest in my yard. They’re edible too!
Viola sororia – The Common Blue Violet
Inspired by violets, I’ve put together a watercolor tutorial on how to paint them! I hope you enjoy!
Usually, around February – I start dreaming of things that bloom! Which is why I thought it would be fitting to do a watercolor video tutorial about painting some of the most colorful members of the Viola family – the Garden Pansies!
This tutorial is all about staying loose…
So many people, myself included, tend to tighten up when we attempt to paint the most beautiful flowers. But, it seems the more we try to be perfect, the less appealing a painting turns out. I don’t know why, but perhaps what’s missing are the rogue and random brush strokes; they make no apologies, even though they don’t follow any specific rules or principles. Though the eye seems more attracted to the expressive and wild than the perfect, but boring.
So come join me and swing that brush around as you wish, as we try to create a free, airy, yet attractive floral watercolor painting in anticipation of early spring bloomers!
Usually sometime in January, I start dreaming of native wildflowers and the many pollinators that visit them. One of my favorite native herbaceous plants is Monarda fistolusa aka Wild Bergamot or Bee Balm. This plant is in the mint family and smells similar to the bergamot used in earl gray tea. In this painting, a skipper butterfly is having a nectar/pollen snack on Wild Bergamot. Not sure what type of skipper it is, but my guess is – Zabulon Skipper.
From my experience this past year, Rainbow Swiss Chard seems to be quite a versatile plant. It can take summer heat, as well as winter temps in zone 6a. I can’t think of many plants that can grow inside an unheated greenhouse in both summer and winter. In summer, temps in the greenhouse can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In winter, I kept the plants inside a cold frame inside the greenhouse (2 layers of protection), so lets assume temps as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit at times.
Pictured here are Rainbow Swiss Chard plants harvested from the greenhouse on January 20th, 2021. The only issue is we just don’t eat as much Swiss Chard as lettuces and other salad greens. In that case, I probably won’t grow as much Swiss Chard going forward and I’ll look for other vegetable plants that can withstand similar temperature extremes, which we do eat often. Any suggestions?
I decided to harvest entire plants, instead of the cut-and-come-again method, which works well with Swiss Chard, because the plants were being heavily invaded by aphids. Perhaps I’ll try the Neem oil to see if it is effective on the aphids on the few Chard plants that I did not harvest. Either way, it is time for a fresh start. I’ll probably sow Broadleaf Endive seeds (member of the Chicory family) in this cold frame shortly and they should come up beautifully by March.
I feel like lumber is way overpriced and I hear there are shortages too. I’m not against big box stores, but I’ll avoid them if I can. Either way, I just didn’t feel like driving to Lowe’s or Home Depot. The woods behind our house seem to be nearing the end of the “Stem Exclusion” stage of forest succession. In this stage, resources, such as sunlight, become limited for certain tree species like Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), which were some of the first tree species to appear in the early stages of forest succession.
Most of the Red Cedar in these woods are now dead because they were shaded out by larger tree species like Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) and Black Cherry (Prunus serotina). Some of the Cedar-skeletons are still standing; others have been blown over by wind. I have mixed feelings about harvesting the cedar trunks from these woods. On one hand they make a nice natural looking raised bed that will help feed our family. On the other hand, I am removing material from these woods that is essential to the detritus food web, even if just several pieces.
Always Wandering Art 