Georgia O’Keeffe: The Modernist Gardener of Canvas

November 15, 1887

On this day, dear readers and fellow admirers of nature's beauty, we celebrate the birth of a true American treasure: Georgia O'Keeffe, the modernist artist whose brush strokes forever changed how we perceive the humble flower.

Born in the year of our Lord 1887, Georgia O'Keeffe would go on to cultivate a garden of art so vast and varied that it would make even the most ambitious horticulturist green with envy. Over 900 works of art blossomed from her talented hands, each one a testament to her unique vision. While her iconic paintings of skulls may have captured the public's imagination, it is her floral works that truly set the art world ablaze.

Imagine, if you will, the year 1938. O'Keeffe, at the not-so-tender age of 51, found her career in something of a drought. But fate, much like an unexpected rain shower, had other plans.

The Hawaiian Pineapple Company (now known as Dole Food Company) approached her with an offer as sweet as their fruits: a nine-week, all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii in exchange for two paintings for their advertising campaign.

One can almost picture O'Keeffe, her artist's bag packed, ready to capture the essence of the pineapple on canvas. And yet, in a delightful twist that would make any contrarian gardener chuckle, she never painted a single pineapple!

But oh, what she did paint!

Here's a morsel of horticultural gossip that will surely make you the talk of your next garden club meeting: Of all the floral paintings O'Keeffe created in Hawaii, not a single one featured a flower native to the islands. Instead, our dear Georgia fell head over heels for the exotic tropical imports from South America. Bougainvillea, Plumeria, Heliconia, Calliandra, and the White Bird of Paradise - these foreign beauties captured her heart and her canvas.

One can't help but wonder if O'Keeffe saw a kindred spirit in these transplants, thriving so far from home.

Now, let us delve into the mind of this floral philosopher, for Georgia O'Keeffe held opinions on flowers as strong and vibrant as her paintings:

Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time ... like to have a friend takes time.

How true, dear readers! In our rush to create the perfect garden, do we not sometimes forget to truly see each bloom?

I hate flowers. I paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move!

Oh, the delightful contradiction!

One can almost hear the laughter in her voice as she utters these words:

If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for a moment.

Is this not the very essence of gardening?

To hold a flower and, for a moment, to hold the world?

I decided that if I could paint that flower on a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty.

And there, dear friends, lies the key to O'Keeffe's genius. She made us see the overlooked, appreciate the undervalued, and find beauty in the smallest of blooms.

So, as we tend to our gardens, let us channel a bit of Georgia O'Keeffe. Let us look closely at each petal, each leaf. Let us see the world in a single bloom. And if we can't quite capture that beauty on canvas?

Well, there's always the option of planting it on a huge scale. After all, as O'Keeffe showed us, sometimes bigger really is better - especially when it comes to flowers.