My Photo Journal: A Thanksgiving Day Walk at Gold Point Wildlife Reserve, Oshawa, Ontario (2025)

What if it's the there
and not the here
that I long for?
The wander
and not the wait,
the magic
in the lost feet
stumbling down
the faraway street
and the way the moon
never hangs
quite the same.
― Tyler Knott Gregson, Chasers of the Light

I was the world in which I walked, and what I saw
Or heard or felt came not but from myself;
And there I found myself more truly and more strange.
― Wallace Stevens, The Collected Poems

Photos © FieldandGarden.com. All rights reserved.

Printable Vintage Art: The Terrace, Gwydyr by Ernest Arthur Rowe

The Terrace, Gwydyr
by Ernest Arthur Rowe (1863–1922)

A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor — such is my idea of happiness.
― Leo Tolstoy

In a person's lifetime there may be not more than half a dozen occasions that he can look back to in the certain knowledge that right then, at that moment, there was room for nothing but happiness in his heart.
― Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Belles on Their Toes

Vintage painting of a serene and quiet garden scene ; oiginally found on Wikimedia here. Digitally enhanced version can be downloaded as a 11” x 8” @ 300 ppi JPEGs here.


Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain fine art are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Printable Vintage Art: Garden with Flowers by Eliseo Meifrén y Roig

I was surrounded by friends, my work was immense, and pleasures were abundant. Life, now, was unfolding before me, constantly and visibly, like the flowers of summer that drop fanlike petals on eternal soil. Overall, I was happiest to be alone; for it was then I was most aware of what I possessed. Free to look out over the rooftops of the city. Happy to be alone in the company of friends, the company of lovers and strangers. Everything, I decided, in this life, was pure pleasure.
― Roman Payne, Rooftop Soliloquy

What we do see depends mainly on what we look for. ... In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.
― John Lubbock, The Beauties of Nature and the Wonders of the World We Live In

Vintage painting of a lush garden filled with an abundantly fruiting peach tree and beautiful flowersn by Eliseo Meifrén y Roig (1857–1940); oiginally found on Wikimedia here. Digitally enhanced version can be downloaded as a 12” x 10” @ 300 ppi JPEGs here.


Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain fine art are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

My Photo Journal: A Walk on Michaelmas Day with Bushels of Michaelmas Daisies

The Michaelmas daisies, among dead weeds,
Bloom for St Michael's valorous deeds.

We had such a lovely walk this morning through fields bursting with Michaelmas daisies (Aster). The weather was glorious as Fall decided to cosplay Summer for Michaelmas Day. Do you think, perhaps, this is just capricious Fall's way to tease a warning about a potentially prolonged Winter ahead? In Irish folklore, clear weather on Michaelmas warns of a long winter: "Michaelmas Day be bright and clear there will be two Winters in the year." 2025's Farmer's Almanac has already predicted colder than mornal Winter temperatures for southern Ontario so I feel we are being given notice...

But who could possibly worry about Winter when golden light appears to have infused every nook and cranny of the landscape and the world seems to be caught up in a Summer fantasy?

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
― Robert Frost

Yes, the gold will doubtless fade into gray but for now, surely, surely, we can simply bask in the bold and brawny sun-soaked day?

© FieldandGarden.com. All rights reserved.

My Photo Journal: Early Fall in My Garden (2025)

Is not this a true autumn day?
Just the still melancholy that I love - that makes life and nature harmonise.
The birds are consulting about their migrations,
the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay,
and begin to strew the ground,
that one's very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air,
while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit.
Delicious autumn!
My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
― George Eliot

With the onset of cooler weather, garden tasks turn to include the splitting and transplanting of perennials. Here, I've managed to divide several large clumps of Echinacea ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ (see my picture above). ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ was introduced by Kieft-Pro Seeds in 2012. It is a well-branched, sturdy coneflower that won the 2013 AAS (All-America Selections®) award and Europe's FleuroSelect Gold Medal award for garden performance. It flowers the first year in a wide range of bloom colors, including purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, cream or white ray flowers with a brown cone. It grows 2 to 2.5 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide [Source: Missouri Botanical Garden]. I do have many other varieties of coneflowers in my garden including ‘Magnus,’‘Fragrant Angel,’‘Ruby Giant,’‘White Swan’ and ‘Green Twister.’ Next year, I intend to add ‘Primadonna Deep Rose’ and ‘Starlight.’

In the process of planting and generally cleaning up my garden beds, lo and behold, I was stunned and thrilled to find a solitary lily still blooming late into the year (see photo below)! This is by far the latest I have seen any of my lilies bloom. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce ‘Miss Feya’. Lilium Miss Feya has large rosy red flowers with a white edge and a speckling of black dots. The flowers are fragrant and measure 3-6“ on stems that stand 6 to 8 feet tall. After it is established it will produce multiple stems with a mass of blooms in late July and early August. Miss Feya is an Orienpet hybrid, a cross between an Oriental lily and a Trumpet lily which combines the tall, strong stems of the Trumpets with the fragrance and shape of the Oriental lilies. These hybrids have an increased ability to withstand late spring frosts as well as hot summer days [Source: Chicago Botanical Garden]. Since this is a 1st-year plant for me (I planted 3 bulbs earlier this spring, and this was the only bulb that flowered), the stem is still very short, and produced only this single flower. I will wait eagerly to see what happens with this particular variety next year.

Have you made any joyful or unexpected discoveries in your early autumn garden? Feel free to drop a comment below if you would like to share. Meanwhile, I hope you are experiencing thus:

I was drinking in the surroundings:
air so crisp you could snap it with your fingers
and greens in every lush shade imaginable
offset by autumnal flashes of red and yellow.
― Wendy Delsol

© FieldandGarden.com. All rights reserved.

Vintage Art Appreciation: Garden in the Wachau by Hugo Charlemont

As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness -- just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm.
― Laura Ingalls Wilder

She was like the sun,
She knew her place in the world
- She would shine again regardless
of all the storms and changeable weather
She wouldn't adjust her purpose
for things that pass.
― Nikki Rowe

Artwork is titled “Garden in the Wachau” by Hugo Charlemont (1850–1939). Originally found on Wikimedia. Digitally enhanced version of the painting as a 9” x 12” @ 300 ppi JPEG here.


Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain fine art are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Free Vintage Nature Illustration: Hummingbird Parents with Eggs at their Nest 1

I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was. Likewise, I never imagined that home might be something I would miss.
― Ransom Riggs

The desire to go home that is a desire to be whole, to know where you are, to be the point of intersection of all the lines drawn through all the stars, to be the constellation-maker and the center of the world, that center called love. To awaken from sleep, to rest from awakening, to tame the animal, to let the soul go wild, to shelter in darkness and blaze with light, to cease to speak and be perfectly understood.
― Rebecca Solnit

I also believe that parents, if they love you, will hold you up safely, above their swirling waters, and sometimes that means you'll never know what they endured, and you may treat them unkindly, in a way you otherwise wouldn't.
― Mitch Albom

19th century illustration of both male and female hummingbirds perched around their nest in the branches of a flowering vine. There is a clutch of eggs resting in the depths of the nest, waiting to be hatched. 8” x 11” @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale “as-is.” Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required.

My Photo Journal: Fleur de Villes Exhibit (2025) at the Royal Botanical Gardens Canada: Downton Abbey Theme

There are random moments - tossing a salad, coming up the driveway to the house,
ironing the seams flat on a quilt square, standing at the kitchen window and looking out at the delphiniums,
hearing a burst of laughter from one of my children's rooms - when I feel a wavelike rush of joy.
This is my true religion: arbitrary moments of of nearly painful happiness for a life I feel privileged to lead.
― Elizabeth Berg, The Art of Mending
How truly privileged I feel! To be able to witness the incredible beauty and creativity on display during the 2025 Fleur de Villes exhibit at the Royal Botanical Gardens last weekend brought a truly humbling sense of awe and gratitude. The Downton Abbey-themed celebration showcased the artistic talents of Southern Ontario floral designers who did not disappoint with their thoughtful and painstakingly crafted creations. I cannot imagine how many hours of effort must have gone into putting this show together but the results are spectacular!

Whether you love flowers or gardens or you simply want to spend an interlude daydreaming of a bygone era, and you happen to be in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), I strongly urge you to drop by and explore this floral extravanganza. The exhibit runs until September 21, 2025. Below are a few photos I took of the marvellous displays but there is so much more to see and experience in person.

© FieldandGarden.com. All rights reserved.

Printable Vintage Botanical Illustrations: Victorian Nosegays by Henriëtte Geertruida Knip

Two botanical illustrations of Victorian nosegays by Henriëtte Geertruida Knip (1783–1842); oiginally found on Wikimedia here and here.

A nosegay, posy, or tussie-mussie is a small flower bouquet. They have existed in some form since at least medieval times, when they were carried or worn around the head or bodice. Doilies are traditionally used to bind the stems in these arrangements. Alternatively, “posy holders”, available in a variety of shapes and materials (although often silver), enable the wearing of these arrangements at the waist, in the hair, or secured with a brooch.

The term nosegay arose in fifteenth century Middle English as a combination of nose and gay (the latter then meaning “ornament”). A nosegay is, thus, an ornament that appeals to the nose or nostril.

The term tussie-mussie (also tussy-mussy) comes from the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), when the small bouquets became a popular fashion accessory. Typically, tussie-mussies include floral symbolism from the language of flowers and therefore may be used to send a message to the recipient. In modern times, the term specifically refers to small bouquets in a conical metal holder, or the holder itself, particularly when used at a white wedding. [Source: Wikimedia]

Digitally enhanced versions (by Field & Garden) of the botanical illustrations (seen above) can be downloaded as 12” x 18” @ 300 ppi JPEGs here and here.


Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain fine art are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Free Vintage Outdoor Illustration: Sisters on a Swing 2

That's the best thing about little sisters: They spend so much time wishing they were elder sisters that in the end they're far wiser than the elder ones could ever be.
― Gemma Burgess

In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring, and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit.
― Marge Kennedy

19th century illustration of two sister and their mother in the garden savouring the waning days of summer. The older sibling is helping to push her younger sister on a hammock swing strung between two trees. 8.5” x 11” @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale “as-is.” Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required.

Free Vintage Outdoor Illustration: Sisters on a Swing 1

For there is no friend like a sister
In calm or stormy weather;
To cheer one on the tedious way,
To fetch one if one goes astray,
To lift one if one totters down,
To strengthen whilst one stands.
― Christina Rossetti, Goblin Market and Other Poems

There was so much time that marvelous summer.
Day after day, mist rose from the meadow as the sky lightened and hedges,
barns and woods took shape until, at last,
the long curving back of the hills lifted away from the Plain.
It was a sort of stage-magic.
― J.L. Carr, A Month in the Country

Vintage illustration of two sister sitting in a wicker swing, savouring an abundance of fresh air and sunshine at the height of summer's splendour. 7” x 8” @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale “as-is.” Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required.

Printable Vintage Art: Dahlias by Carl Moll

I found an inner strength to fight for myself. It was clear that nobody else would.
― Tehmina Durrani, My Feudal Lord

“Run towards the roar,” the old people used to tell the young ones. When faced with great danger and when people panic and seek a false sense of safety, run towards the roaring and go where you fear to go. For only in facing your fears can you find some safety and a way through. When the world rattles and the end seems near, go towards the roar.
― Michael Meade, Why the World Doesn't End: Tales of Renewal in Times of Loss

Don’t dwell too much on the past. The lessons are useful for the present and a preparation for the future. Move on!
― Lailah Gifty Akita, Pearls of Wisdom: Great Mind

Vintage painting of dahlias in a garden by Carl Moll (1861–1945); oiginally found on Wikimedia here. Digitally enhanced version can be downloaded as 7” x 7” @ 300 ppi JPEGs here.


Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain fine art are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Free Vintage Garden-Themed Postcard: Gathering Summer Flowers

THE ROSES
One day in summer
when everything
has already been more than enough
the wild beds start
exploding open along the berm
of the sea; day after day
you sit near them; day after day,
the honey keeps on coming
in the red cups and the bees
like amber drops roll
in the petals: there is no end,
believe me! to the inventions of summer,
to the happiness your body
is willing to bear.
― Mary Oliver, Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver

An early 20th century real photo postcard featuring a young woman gathering flowers into a basket as she walks through her summer garden. You can download the high-res 4" x 6" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale "as-is." Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required.

Vintage Art Appreciation: 1910 Poster for Biological Exhibition by Theodorus van Hoytema

The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

The above illustration was in a poster advertising a biological exhibition at the zoo in The Hague from June 11-21, 1910. It was produced by printamaker Theodorus van Hoytema (1863–1917), and was originally found on Wikimedia. My digitally enhanced version of the painting can be downloaded as an 11” x 7” @ 300 ppi JPEG here.


Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain fine art are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Free Vintage Outdoor Illustration for Collage, Graphic Design, Papercrafts or Scrapbooking: A Summer Shower

August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born.
The odd uneven time.
― Sylvia Plath

It’s not that we have to quit
this life one day, but it’s how
many things we have to quit
all at once: music, laughter,
the physics of falling leaves,
automobiles, holding hands,
the scent of rain, the concept
of subway trains... if only one
could leave this life slowly!
― Roman Payne

Vintage illustration of a Victorian woman caught in a summer shower. Luckily, she is prepared for the capricious weather with her rain boots and umbrella! 6” x 9” @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. These images are to be incorporated into your creative works. Not for resale “as-is.” Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required.

My Photo Journal: Summer Phlox (1)

The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year,
like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning.
The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring,
and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn,
but the first week of August is motionless, and hot.
It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons,
and sunsets smeared with too much color.
― Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting

All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer
— one of those summers which come seldom into any life,
but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going
— one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather,
delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams

What is currently blooming in your garden this summer? Phlox and black-eyed Susans are obviously enjoying their moment in the sun but other perennials presently thriving in my garden are Buddleia (butterfly bushes), Echinacea (coneflowers), various lilies, summer roses, hardy hibiscus, and Japanese anemones, just to name a few.

I've harvested massive handfuls of tomatoes and baskets full of Swiss chard, okra, strawberries and early potatoes from my vegetable beds. The garden is teeming with life and beauty, and my senses are overloaded with nature's plenty. I feel blessed and thankful as summer asserts its glow on my heart.

True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future,
not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have,
which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing.
The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach.
A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.
― Seneca

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