Illustrator Silvia Dekker’s flower garden is an incredibly important place to her and a wealth of inspiration for her work. Which is something she never expected it to be.
How did you find the space?
“The small garden behind our house was already an explosion of green, so I was looking for ways to expand it. We were able to lease this garden at a relatively new community garden park. When we got it, it was a plowed pasture. My husband and I created a design and started at the edges of the garden. We slowly planted more and more borders.”
Do you spend a lot of time there?
“Yes, I go there every day. In the beginning, I thought it would be fun for my children, but it’s actually turned out to be even more fun for my husband and me. It’s a nice way to relax. I live twenty minutes from it, and as soon as I get on my bike, I’m already in a completely different mood. Sometimes I only go for half an hour; sometimes I stay the entire evening.”
What are your favorite flowers?
“Dahlias. I really enjoy sowing them because each time it’s a surprise what will come up. The Bishop’s Children dahlia, for example, has dark leaves and brightly colored flowers, but you never know beforehand exactly which colors will appear. I also have a lot of echinacea and I really love yellow drumsticks (Craspedia globosa Billy buttons). I pre-sow everything first, grow the flowers in the greenhouse, and then transplant them to the soil.”
- Read the full interview with Silvia Dekker about her flower garden in Issue 28.
- Find more about Silvia’s garden projects and illustrations on her website.
Text Jeanette Jonker Photography Irina Iriser/Unsplash.com
