Ornamental Eggplant
Every year I grow something new in the garden, preferably from seed. This year I made room for a plant I’ve seen in fall floral arrangements: ornamental eggplant or pumpkin-on-a-stick. What a fun plant this is to grow! It’s related to eggplant, but it looks like a pumpkin, and thus one of the common names for the plant. I’m a sucker for dramatic additions to flower arrangements, so I tucked a couple of seedlings in a vegetable bed in the spring. We are getting close to our first frost this time of year, so I went ahead and cut the stems last week.
The stems are in a vase that I purchased in the spring from my florist. I thought it would make a good container for forcing forsythia branches, but it’s perfect for these, too. I would normally use more foliage in an arrangement, but I’m still experimenting, and I wanted to allow for lots of air circulation to see how they will dry in our climate. The color is just wonderful and vibrant, and perfect for October.
I like these enough to plant them again next year!
The sketch is done with watercolor pencils. I’ve been using watercolor pencils since my college days, and they are still one of my favorite ways to add color to a sketch. You can use them like pencils, add water for a watercolor-wash effect, and then add more dry pencil details over the top, as I’ve done here. I use many different brands, but I think this was done with Supracolor. I’ve taught classes on using these pencils for sketching at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, and plan to teach more. I may also add an online tutorial, so watch this space for announcements in the future.
We are supposed to get a front bringing in cooler air later in the week. I’m ready for the cooler weather, even though it will usher in the end-of-season garden chores.
Thank you for reading along!
-Camille