Inspired by Nature

My husband grew up near Philadelphia, where rhododendrons (named for the Greek words for rose and tree) grow wild and flower luxuriantly. He's on a mission to convince me that we should plant the shrubs around the edge of our yard. I'm not a fan of the plant's dark green, leathery leaves, or of its sometimes scraggly branches. But we took a tour this weekend of the botanical gardens, where the rhododendrons are in full and glorious bloom.

I was enchanted by the amazing variety of colors of the rhododendron blossoms--from white to the most shocking hot pinks. The blossoms grow in huge clusters, called trusses.

I think I may be a rhododendron convert.

We also took a walk through the rest of the botanical garden and hiked through the wildflower garden. I was happy to see many of the flowers that are growing wild in our yard and learn their names.

This one is called Dame's Rocket, and the mix of white, pink, and purple blossoms look beautiful clustered in our yard.

Everyone in the family took turns with the camera, and my daughter captured this lovely image of a hosta whose huge leaves cradled a drop of water.

And of course I was on the lookout for silhouetted images to use for paper cutouts.

I left the gardens feeling so invigorated and inspired, and the paper cutouts below are the result of our Sunday morning garden inspiration. Both are for the Artist Trading Card swap with Snippety Gibbet.

The cutout below, of course, is more indirectly inspired by nature. Snippety Gibbet is an avid cyclist, and I included a quote on the back from Frances E. Willard, a 19th-century social reformer, who learned to ride the newly popular bicycle in 1893 when she was in her 50s: "She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life."