Even without a global pandemic, I start to go a little stir crazy this time of year, and begin fantasizing about bags of compost and mulch. But it sure looks like we have at least a few more weeks of winter left, and one of the ways I stay sane inside is by surrounding myself with as many indoor plants as possible—including all manner of botanical art. Recently I discovered three Southern sources for wonderful, garden-inspired pieces guaranteed to pull you out of your is-it-spring-yet funk.
This South Carolina company has an arsenal of botanical specimens collected from around the South that, with the aid of technology, they enlarge to dramatic scale and even color in otherworldly hues (a red papyrus palm leaf, for example). I prefer these giant, au naturel star jasmine sprigs that look like they’re dancing when hung as a pair. The company also offers custom framing, so the whole business can arrive at your doorstep ready to hang. From $60 unframed; urbangardenprints.com
I was introduced to the work of the Charleston, South Carolina, artist Lia Burke Libaire by none other than our editor in chief Dave DiBenedetto a few months back, and now I see her work everywhere, from custom cocktail napkins embroidered with her floral drawings at Courtland & Co. in Savannah to a batch of her watercolors at Kate Rheinstein Brodsky’s trendsetting shop KRBNYC. Libaire also sells her work and accepts commissions via her site, and I have my eye on the pink geraniums below. $225 for a pair; liaburkelibaire.com
The Georgia artist Howell Hollingsworth clips most of her specimens from either the Macon or Lake Oconee areas before drying them for up to six weeks. My favorite iterations, such as the ferns below, involve another step: gold-leafing, which gives them the appearance of being cast in paper-thin metal. $225 each; masseygordon.com
