Color In and Out of the Garden: An Interview with Lorene Edwards Forkner

Lorene Edwards Forkner is something of a constant gardener: Over the past three decades, her life has revolved around getting her hands dirty and creating beauty. She has run a small nursery, worked as a garden designer, and written books on everything from DIY garden projects to growing backyard vegetables. And, in April 2018, as she grappled with grief, Lorene embarked on a profound garden-based project: for 100 days, she would head into her garden and find something beautiful—a colorful bloom, a lacy piece of foliage, a smooth stone—and render its colors in watercolor. That meditative practice turned into a gorgeous Instagram feed (@gardenercook), which we fell heads over heels for. We worked with Lorene to help shape that project into a book, Color In and Out of the Garden, out in spring 2022.

In anticipation of its arrival, we sat down with Lorene to talk about fleeting moments of beauty, the magic of periwinkle-blue, and what it means to live a considered life.

How did you first get into gardening?

LEF: I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have my hands in the dirt. But after my son was born, I started spending much more time outdoors, and turned to gardening with more intention while he played alongside me. He would wear himself out enough to nap, and I got a garden.

You owned and operated a nursery for a time. How did that impact the way you see plants and the garden?

LEF: When I owned the nursery, I met a community of people who, like me, saw every flower, bulb, grass, and twig as a source of wonder and possibility. My time there also taught me to be aware of the slightest changes that roll out through the four seasons. The garden is never static—something is always shifting, growing, declining. Color is one way to track those changes, in the fresh lime-green of trees and shrubs leafing out in spring, or the deepening color of ripening fruit in summer. Eventually, I came to realize that even a relatively monochromatic winter landscape is filled with subtle color.

Do you think it’s possible for all of us to see nature that way?

LEF: Absolutely! All these wonders are right there for us to see. When we put in the effort to see, we notice more—we’re able to reframe the familiar. I feel like, at the heart of my practice, I’m really just saying, “Hey, look at that!” I think of myself as an attention artist who makes marks in watercolor.

What’s your favorite color? Has that changed over the years, as you’ve continued your daily practice?

LEF: That’s tricky. I love green, of course—the source color of everything growing—from chartreuse new growth to a blue-green aqua patina. Periwinkle-blue is sort of like touching the sky. But I always come back to orange; I rely on its energy and pluck. There’s a fire to orange.

Are there any elements of your garden you’ve grown to appreciate more over the course of this project?

LEF: I’ve always thought that planting a garden is like being inside of a work of art as it’s being created. Making a daily color study allows me to capture and hold onto fleeting moments in the garden—like seasonal fall foliage, or tender petals before the rain beats them up. Now, I find myself planting to create more of those brief moments.

How do you see or experience color differently now?

LEF: It sounds dangerously close to “hearing voices,” but I see more colors now! The more I look, the more I see. My eyes are trained to detect nuance—and just as importantly, my mind is disciplined to listen to and record my thoughts. I guess that’s what they mean by a considered life.

What did you love about writing this book?

LEF: I think of this project as a memoir in plants and color. I put my whole heart into this book, the bruised and broken parts, like grief and loss, as well as the joy and simple delight of discovering a perfectly ripe berry or an exquisite bloom. Early on, I decided to be completely open, flawed, and vulnerable, and that was hard. Writing this book opened me up, strengthened my vision, and made me more compassionate and tender to the world around me.

What lessons do you hope to share with readers in this book?

LEF: This book is about looking out and looking in. Slowing down to record a moment, in color or words or both, introduces expansiveness. I call it “befriending your attention.” To my readers, I would say this: Pay attention to your life, including the uncelebrated, the overlooked, and the weedy parts. Look with heart and compassion, embrace the broken and the beautiful. Then share what you see with others—your perspective matters.

To learn more about Lorene’s journey in the garden—and find ideas on ways to start creating attention art of your own—check out Color in and Out of the Garden, coming out this spring, and now available for preorder.