Lawn to Forest

 

Forest Scene, colored pencil.

 

Recently the Virginia Native Plant Society asked me to do some illustrations for a brochure they are developing called "Your Lawn Wants to be a Forest." The idea is to encourage homeowners to turn an ordinary dull lawn into something more environmentally inviting by planting native trees and other vegetation. Or, by simply not mowing the lawn, allow it to develop into a meadow, which will eventually grow into a forest.

 

Left Hand Meadow, colored pencil.

 

It's a challenge to find a way to illustrate the concepts in the brochure, and I loved our graphic designer's tip of using color in just some places for accent, rather than over all. This wonderful idea allows me to do a detailed drawing of the plants in sepia pencil, and then bring in touches of color to pop up and call attention to elements of the plants and associated pollinators.

 

Right Hand Meadow, colored pencil.

 

I created the sketches using plants from my own garden and the surrounding woods. I have lots of photos of these--it's impossible for me to draw a plant accurately from memory, I need to have a photo or the real plant in front of me to be botanically accurate, which is essential for an assignment like this.

Unfortunately, the last sketch has proved problematic--it seems that the common mullein, which I see all around our area and in my garden, is not a native. So, I'll have to try to find a way to turn that mullein into some other native plant.

The interesting thing as I read the text of the brochure, is to realize that my gardening efforts have instinctively followed its advice, except that I haven't confined myself to all native trees and shrubs. As an eclectic plant lover, I have a predilection for Japanese maples, as well as flora from the southwest and western states and I've indulged it with some success. 

Not all the plants I buy native to our western regions have prospered here--as I've learned, our native clay soils are too dense for some of these plants, but it's fun to experiment and see what will do well here.