My passion for gardening takes a little while to warm up at the end of the winter season. I find plenty of reasons to procrastinate such as, “It’s too cold to work outside today.” Or “I’ll just prune things next week.”
Truth is, I prefer observing cold weather from the comfort of a cozy home. Not being able to grow things outside has never prevented me from being productive indoors. Which is the story of my current tomatoes and peppers (on paper). I've also been somewhat productive with other plants. And bugs are ever-present, of course.
A big thanks for my new hobby goes to my sister-in-law, Sarah. She's an amazing artist and a good friend who has redirected my obsessive nature towards botanical illustration.
A class project with Jenny Granberry at The Contemporary Austin Art School. In the next few weeks, I'll be planting tomatoes. Very excited to see these in the garden again.
This is an Elephant Garlic. Large and tasty.
A gift to my husband Bruce for his birthday. Growing peppers was our team sport last summer.
An amazing Gazania Treasure flower in my garden.
Nandina. Many gardeners consider it ordinary, but I love this elegant shrub.
A few bugs in my garden last summer looked like this one. I hope to see them again soon.
This is a beautiful moth. I've been lucky to see it several times.
Found this on a walk I took several months ago. Mockingbird, I believe.
Bug wars. These two insects don't get along (and that's a good thing). The Emerald Ash Borer on the right arrived from Asia decades ago and is extremely damaging to our North American Ash trees. Years of research on how to deal with the infestation has led entomologists to import a predator; the Asian Wasp. After quarantining the Wasp to make sure it was safe to integrate into our ecosystems, it's being released as a new deterrent against the devastating beetle. Insects are so cool.
Loved your pictures!
Olga, your drawings are just amazing. What a talented artist you are!