A garden inspired by fine art

In the summer of 2019 I worked at the marvelous PepperHarrow Farms down in Winterset, Iowa. I was there from seeding to bouquet for almost every bloom that they have available and I fell in love with plants. I love the way that they make you feel and the incredible colors they can produce, I love the sentiment different flowers have and the delicate strength of stunning blooms. There was a lot I learned while working under Jenn and Adam O’Neal, and a lot that I would still like to know. If you want to pick their brain or take a peek at some of their incredible blooms, they will be at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market this summer and they have classes that they host on the farm! All your gardening dreams come true.

And with that, I picked a few gallery favorites that inspire particular blooms for your garden this season. Even a garden selection needs a source of inspiration—happy planting!

Hunt Slonemis known for his vibrant neo-expressionist bunnies, butterflies and birds (say that three times fast). His focus is already on the natural so who better to pair your garden with than Hunt?

Bluestar is a stunning perennial that grows big and tall and demands attention just like your Hunt price will! But while your Hunt piece does best in the light; Bluestar wants to be a little shady, but can put up with the spotlight as long as there is plenty of rain.

Lavender is an amazing addition to any garden any time. I am a huge fan of Lavender for the color, the tiny blooms and for its natural calming fragrance. This being said, I am not the only one that loves Lavender; pollinators love them too! These are a little more difficult to grow - they like more rough soil and we here in the midwest tend to have soil a little more on the nutrient rich side, so if you find a patch of your garden that is a little less rich that would be the place to plant it.

Coneflower (or Echinacea) is a great finish off for the season! They are bright and beautiful and are one of the best flowers when it comes to attracting butterflies. These guys are also perfect for midwestern soil being that they last though even the harshest Minnisota winter and are pretty hardy in even wet/dry soil. In addition to them being beautiful and attractive to Butterflies, they also make really great tea. Echinacea can be dried in its second year of blooming and is known for its illness replusing qualities (we all need a bit of that). These beauties bloom in summer to autumn.

Rebecca Sternuses all of my favorite colors in her work, so I am so naturally drawn to her work. This piece in particular really speaks to me. It reminds me of sunshine and birds flying and blue skies.

Bachelors Button is a great choice if you are looking to have pollinators and songbirds in your garden, as well as pulling the beautiful tones from the piece. These beauties can be a large variety of colors, but I have seen them most in a deep periwinkle blue. They’re hardy little wildflowers that are sure to catch the eye of anyone who passes them by.

Sunflowers are known for their bright, summery, feel and their huge seedbeds in the middle of their petals, but did you know that songbirds love these happy flowers as much as we do? As you may know, sunflowers bloom in late summer and even into early fall and are a great source of food for the little birds that are preparing for the cooler months ahead. These happy flowers are also heliotropic, which means as the sun moves, so do their blooms so that their faces are always toward the sun.

Lino Lagois known for his dreamy abstract paintings with beautiful, classic looking, women hiding underneath. They are delicate and strong and classic and abstract, all wrapped in one.

The stunning blush pink foreground and romantic lacy top instantly make me think of Lisianthus. These stunning blooms are just incredible all the way around. They seem to be delicate spring flowers; with their soft, lacey edges but they bloom in the mid to late summer and can survive in the most extreme heat and humidity that our midwestern summers have to offer. And if you have been outside during the summer months, you know how strong these little beauties really are.

Ranunculus are another one of my favorite blooms. They come in a variety of colors both soft and sweet, and bold and bright; which is a great reflection of the strength and beauty in Lago's work. This is an early summer bloom and they are a little on the more difficult side to grow.

Dahlias can be big and bold, small and delicate, bright colors, soft colors, short petaled, or long petaled, and I am obsessed with every single one. They are a late summer bloom with endless bouquet potential. Dahlias are strong and can withstand a lot of summer heat. Native to Mexico and Central America they are used to the heat and actually thrive in it, but can also survive well in a mild to warmer sided climate; we are a little intense for its tubers (like a bulb for a tulip— it is their kind of seed) because of our harsh winters. Happy planting this season!