The restorative power of a good ebb

And an artist's garden full of life!

Hello beautiful people,

How are you? I have missed you! Thank you so much for checking in on me during my winter dormancy.

Spring has sprung and my garden and I are both coming back to life, after a period of quiet hibernation. Although seasons of flow tend to be more conventionally comfortable, I wholeheartedly believe in the power of a good ebb for healthy growth, restoration, and recalibration.

This one was no different, and I’m starting this season feeling enriched, inspired, and aware—that some things are ready to evolve. More about that as life unfolds… In the meantime, I thought it would be lovely to give you a little glimpse into some “coming back to life” moments in the garden this week.

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“Garden Coco” is in her seventh year of transforming—from a 1/4 acre lawn (with an abundance of mosquitos) into a biodiverse habitat. I had no gardening experience or plan going in… and have accumulated a wealth of knowledge and mistakes along the way. This is the first year I’ve been inspired to sit back, relax, and simply enjoy the garden.

Garden Coco, before and after

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Each morning I start the day with a garden walkabout. There is so much going on! Tiny snails canoodling, blue bonnets blossoming, baby peaches bursting out of buds, ready to bask their fuzzy bodies in the sunshine.

Two fuzzy peach babies on a four-year-old tree

Bluebonnets, snails, and baby asparagus

Evening primrose meadow, an edible Texas wildflower

A few years ago, one of the garden “weeds” blossomed into an evening primrose, but just one. The next year, there were a handful. Now, we have an entire meadow. They happen to be my favorites, dainty and ephemeral. I learned last year that primroses are edible nervines and support the nervous system while calming digestion, yay!

Joseph’s Coat climbing rose

Magnificent yellow rose, does anyone know what variety she could be?

In Texas spring, the garden projects feel pressing. Like a race to beat the looming heat of summer. I do one gardenscaping thing a week. This week it was training a tangerine crossvine onto this basketball hoop trellis. The vine is in its second year of growth and we both hope for an explosion of tangerine splendor in future seasons! Fingers crossed.

You can see this basketball hoop in the “Coco before”

I am learning the art of garden photography and had a spontaneous photoshoot with an anole and a rose one afternoon. I adore anoles in the garden and this moment was unbearably sweet. Just look at that face.

Anole & Rose, a meet cute

Dr. Huey putting on a fragrant show

This is officially “the year of the rose” in Garden Coco and it is so lovely to see these roses establishing themselves as the showstoppers they were born to be. Dr. Huey in particular is living his best life. This was a cutting taken four years ago from a bush in the front that had to be removed because it kept poking people as they entered the house. I propagated him and it turns out he is a climber!

I think that story illustrates the theme of this note and season perfectly. We all need a little support, patience, and understanding from time-to-time, so that we can grow and flourish into what we are meant to become.

xo. Jess & Coco

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Coming up next…

1. Exploring the world of botanical art inspired by what’s growing in the garden.

2. Watercoloring a Redouté-inspired rose, and filming the process for a new “Artist in the Garden” series.

3. More adventures of the gardening sort can be found on my baby Instagram ~ @artistandgarden