Garden Diaries: How Frances Palmer’s Flowers Inspire Her Ceramics
For self-taught ceramicist, gardener, and photographer Frances Palmer, flowers and pottery are inseparable. Her beloved Connecticut garden is central to her craft, where she grows thousands of cut flowers that inspire her exquisite handmade vessels.
These two passions first intertwined when Frances moved into her home 32 years ago. Her six-acre plot quickly filled up with cut flower garden beds that overflow with a rainbow of blooms every year. Overlooking the garden from her studio window, she shapes her vases for the seasonal arrangements she plans to create.
Now, her garden is an ever-changing floral tapestry where she’s free to experiment. Spring bulbs give way to summer dahlias, while late-season blooms ensure the garden continues to evolve into fall. It’s become far more than a place to grow plants – the garden is somewhere Frances studies silhouettes and colors; it’s an extension of her studio.
(Image credit: Frances Palmer)
Where to Begin?
When my family moved into this home 32 years ago, we had six acres to work with.
Not necessarily knowing how it would all come together, I began by marking out a 50-foot round garden. It’s a fenced, secluded space with four 16-square-foot beds inside.
It’s shadier and cooler than other areas of the property, making it the perfect place to grow dahlias. We also have roses and shade plants growing around the perimeter.
(Image credit: Frances Palmer)
Our second garden finds itself on an old tennis court, completely transformed with 30 raised beds.
This spot receives a lot of sun almost all day long, ideal conditions for my David Austin roses, native plants, perennials, and, of course, more dahlias.
I run the tennis court garden on a drip irrigation system, which helps support the plants through the heat of summer and makes watering far less time-consuming.
It’s a really great spot for pollinators. We have four beehives on the tennis court, and native bees also love the flowers. I love sitting on the picnic bench there and watching the honeybees fly in and out of the hives with so much energy.
(Image credit: Frances Palmer)
The fruit orchard has also been a delightful addition. We grow apples, pears, plums, nectarines, peaches, apricots, quinces, and medlars.
It’s also the most challenging of the gardens. No matter how I try to protect the trees, the squirrels and birds always seem to find a way to enjoy the harvest first.
But I have had more success with my potted citrus tree collection, including Meyer lemons, Buddha’s hand, yuzu, and mandarin, which spend winter in the greenhouse.
Each one of these garden spaces leaves me feeling happy and full of wonder. It’s amazing to see empty beds come to life as the plants grow and pour out of them.
(Image credit: Frances Palmer)
My Craft is Guided By the Seasons
I don’t find myself drawn to one particular area in the garden when looking for inspiration because different flowers bloom at different times of the year.
Rather, I am inspired by the flowers as they come along and create vessels to accompany them. I capture those transitions by taking photos of my seasonal arrangements.
(Image credit: Frances Palmer)
You’ll find me experiencing this seasonality first-hand, too, waking up early to water the roses and citrus trees even before the bees are up, usually just as it gets light after sunrise.
Sitting at the pottery wheel in my first-floor studio is also one of my favorite ways to view the garden, looking out over the orchard and tennis court raised beds.
(Image credit: Ian Glitter/Frances Palmer)
Over time, the relationship between the garden and my pottery has become a conversation between the flowers and the vessels that hold them.
I often make pieces to accommodate something that’s in bloom, whether it’s a tall, narrow pot for a lily stem or a tulipiere for tulips and dahlias.
The flowers and ceramics continually inspire each other.
(Image credit: Frances Palmer)
I love all of the blooms that have found a place in my garden, but the tulips, dahlias, roses, bearded irises, and lilies are particular favorites.
I’m also especially fond of the plants I’ve received as gifts from friends. Every time one comes into bloom, I’m reminded of the person who gave it to me and the memory it carries. To me, those are the very best gifts.
This is Where I Find Peace
(Image credit: Frances Palmer)
This garden is my sanctuary. Whenever life feels hectic, spending time here helps me slow down and reset. That said, keeping it looking its best is no small task.
There always seems to be something that needs doing, whether it’s deadheading spent blooms, pruning shrubs (I rarely venture outside without a pair of garden clippers in hand), fertilizing, or staking top-heavy plants. It can feel overwhelming at times, but it’s a labor of love – and one I’m grateful to have.
Even in winter, when the flowers have faded and the borders are resting, I still love looking out across the garden. It may be quieter, but there’s beauty in that stillness. It’s a season for reflection, planning, and appreciating the landscape in an entirely different way.
(Image credit: Frances Palmer/Weston Wells)
The Joy Is in the Journey
The relationship between my garden and my pottery continues to evolve. It feels like a constant conversation between the two — vessels created for flowers, and flowers that inspire new vessels in return. Each shapes the other, creating a connection that grows and changes with the seasons.
But perhaps the greatest lesson gardening has taught me is patience. Gardens cannot be rushed; they develop slowly over time, shaped by nature, care, and countless small decisions. I’ve learned to be kinder to myself too, accepting that every gardener experiences setbacks alongside the successes.
Above all, gardening is about enjoying the journey. There will always be something new to learn, something unexpected to discover, and each season brings its own surprises. The joy is in watching it all unfold.
Frances’ book, Life with Flowers (available on Amazon), offers a deeper insight into how she plans seasonal blooms to arrange and photograph in her own ceramics, exploring the thoughtful relationship between gardening, flower arranging, and pottery.
Garden Diaries is our series where we share inspiring stories of designing and cultivating a stunning garden space. We explore how creatives, designers and tastemakers have grown a deeply personal space, inviting creativity, learning and happiness in their gardens, and how they live in these spaces.
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