The Best of 2023: My 12 Favorite Plants and Garden Projects

In winter and early spring, it’s easy to forget how abundant and colorful my garden is during the growing season. I jog my memory by looking through photos and coming back to my blog posts.

November 2023 In The Garden: Hidden Colors and Gratitude

“Autumn is the season to find contentment at home by paying attention to what we already have.”

—unknown

garden, gratitudeAnne ButeraNovember 25, 2023gratitude, garden, garden colors, autumn garden, November garden, garden gratitude, gratitude for gardens, gratitude for beauty, noticing beauty, noticing color, joy Comments

October 2023 in the Garden: Nothing Gold Can Stay

When I checked first thing this morning, the temperature was 31 (30 degrees lower than when I woke up yesterday).

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September 2023 In The Garden: Still Savoring

I’m grateful for all these late-season flowers. Not just for me, but for my garden visitors, too. Bees. Butterflies. I still see hummingbirds every day, zooming from flower to flower.

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August 2023 in the Garden: a Dream Becomes Reality

This photo probably gives it away:

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Painting in the Garden, A Fun and Different Project: Barn Quilts

Some projects live in my head for a very long time before I get around to bringing them into the world. Painting a series of “barn” quilts for my house and garden is one of those projects.

art, books, joy, gardenAnne ButeraAugust 12, 2023barn quilts, quilts, quilt blocks, garden decor, art in the garden, painted quilts, flying geese painted quilt, projects, art projects, books, quilt books Comments

July 2023 in the Garden: Savoring My Botanical Sanctuary (and Fighting Resistance)

When I sat down to write today’s post, I felt completely unprepared. And for the first time in a really long time, I was tempted to skip blogging this week.

garden, lifeAnne ButeraJuly 22, 2023garden, garden tour, garden tours, garden tour video, july garden tour, Wisconsin gardening, gardening in Wisconsin Comments

June 2023 In the Garden: Nostalgia, Growth and Letting Plants Have Their Way

Ah, June in the garden. What a beautiful month.

Reminders About Life and Art and Recommitting to Noticing and Savoring Joy

Today on my blog, I planned to share about the Winding Roads Art Tour, but as I was driving home on Sunday evening I realized I hadn’t taken a single photo all weekend.

May 2023 in the Garden: Renewal and Rebirth at the Start of the Growing Season

I’ve been eating asparagus, rhubarb and young walking onions from the garden. I’m also harvesting chives and pinches of my basil seedlings.

7 Plants I'm Not Growing in My Garden This Year and 4 I'm On the Fence About

It’s hard for me to believe the days were sunny and warm and my flowers were blooming only a week ago.

gardenAnne ButeraApril 22, 2023gardening, plants I'm not growing in my garden, garden planning, winter garden planning, deciding what to grow, garden experiments, snow in April, April in the Garden, April in the Garden in Wisconsin, garden vlog, art vlog, art and garden vlog Comments

20 Garden Favorites: The Best Projects, Plants and Ideas from My 2022 Garden

When I’m planning my garden for the year I always like to consider my garden from the year before.

gardenAnne ButeraMarch 25, 2023gardening, garden planning, assessing the garden, garden favorites, best plants in my garden, my favorite plants in my garden, favorite garden projects, garden projects Comments

Delighting in Dahlias: Dreaming of My Garden in the Depths of February

Over the last couple of weeks, our snow was slowly melting. Two weeks of predicted snowstorms never materialized. What was left was nearly gone and then this week we were hit with snow, sleet, freezing rain and more snow. Now everything is white again.

garden, inspirationAnne ButeraFebruary 25, 2023dahlias, dahlia tubers, growing dahlias, growing dahlias from seed, dahlias in the garden, watercolor dahlias, garden inspiration, painting inspiration, winter garden planning, winter garden dreaming Comments

How to Expand (Garden) Delight in the Depths of a Wisconsin Winter

Written on my calendar today is “Blog: Garden”.

garden, joy, life, houseplantsAnne ButeraJanuary 28, 2023winter, winter blahs, battling the winter blahs, garden, winter garden, finding joy in the winter garden, expand delight, joy, winter joy, winter in wisconsin, winter in the studio Comments

Focus on Gratitude in December: Thankful for Gardens and Nature

I stand at the window and look out at my garden. Birds come and go from the feeder.

October 2022 In the Garden and the End of the Growing Season

In October you never know what you’re going to get and the hooks by my back door reflect just how changeable it’s been this month.

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August 2022 in the Garden

In June when I wrote to my Joy Letter subscribers I said that June was my favorite month. Right now, though, I’m thinking August might be.

My Favorite Self-Seeding Annuals For Effortless Beauty Each Year in the Garden

One of the things I love most about my garden and gardening is connecting with nature. I plant my garden and I tend it, but I’m not really in control.