Behind the Print: Kitchen Garden

I love the aesthetic of vintage packaging and have always drawn a lot of inspiration from classic, hand-drawn approaches to design. I love how the Champagne & Caviar print was a bit of an ode to beautifully designed caviar cans, and I wanted to make a spring pattern that showcased stylized veggie can labels. It felt like a fun twist to use the cans as pots for the plants themselves! I did a lot of research on old tinned vegetable brands and labels, and created my own designs inspired by some of the fonts and design elements that were popular in the mid-1900s.

While this isn’t our first veggie pattern (we released a veggie embroidery in collaboration with Anthropologie a few years ago, as well as a funny bird and asparagus print that I hope we’ll bring back someday), it’s definitely the boldest! Vegetables feel fun and playful, and are a great vessel for bold, bright colors. Fruit prints tend to be a bit sweeter (pun intended), while vegetables seem to add a silly, quirky element. The veggies I selected were partially driven by the can artwork I wanted to depict, so I started with tomatoes and peppers to be the real showstoppers. Peppers are fun because the same plant produces a range of different colors depending on when you harvest them - I loved the contrast between the bright yellow and red bell peppers and the smaller jalapenos that paired red with a rich, darker green in the palette. For the tomatoes, I knew I wanted to feature both larger heirlooms as well as smaller varieties that grow in groups on the vine. And then I added in pea plants, mostly because I love how silly they look with their curling, twisting vines and dangling pea pods.

I love gardening, but don’t have a ton of space for fruits and vegetables because my yard has slowly been turning into more and more of a shade garden each year, thanks to a fig tree that is now GIANT. But I do try to at least grow an assortment of herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, basil, and Thai basil) and a few tomato plants each year. Two years ago, we discovered that one of my partner’s neighbors gives away lots of free heirloom tomato starts each spring, and we’ve been lucky enough to grow her varieties for the past couple of years! My dad built a back porch/roof deck on the backside of my house, and while most of my yard is shaded, the deck is filled with bright sun. This year, I’m hoping to put in some larger planters up there, so I can add some sun-loving plants back into my garden!

For anyone considering giving gardening a try, I’d say go for it! Smaller, low-maintenance crops like herbs are a great place to start if you’re intimidated. And if you’re ready to move on to move complex plants like tomatoes, I think the biggest thing is really consistent feeding and watering once the weather gets warm. I try to make it part of my morning routine to spend a few minutes in my backyard giving everyone a drink before the sun gets too hot.

I’d also recommend checking out your area for local gardens and garden centers for ideas and inspiration. I keep a yearly membership to Chanticleer Gardens, a hidden gem about 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia. “Chanticleer has been called the most romantic, imaginative, and exciting public garden in America. The garden is a study of textures and forms, where foliage trumps flowers, the gardeners lead the design, and even the drinking fountains are sculptural. It is a garden of pleasure and learning, relaxing yet filled with ideas to take home.” Every time I go there, I get so inspired, and then have an amazing mix of different types of plants and environments. There are also always horticulturalists and fellow plant-lovers on site, and I’ve found the plant community to be incredibly passionate and open about sharing advice and tips. 

This collection is full of thoughtful gifts that are perfect for Mother’s Day. For the gardener in your life, the Long Robe is a feel-good spring essential—it's one of my personal favorites! The Quilted Pouch also makes a lovely gift; in my opinion, you can never have too many. What makes this capsule extra special are the unique, handcrafted pieces like the Naya Nightie and the Everyday Button Down. I’m especially fond of this shirt—it features embroidered tomatoes and a playful contrast stripe that adds a little extra charm.

Enjoy this story? Here are more suggestions!

1. Behind the Collection: Printfresh x The Foggy Dog 
2. Sweet Dreams Series: Noelle Blizzard of New June Bakery
3. Sincerely, Amy: Happy Mother’s Day
4. Behind the Prints: Butterfly Grove & Sweet Bee 
5. Behind the Print: Tea Party