Blue Chalk Sticks

With the winter solstice behind us, my garden is finally packed off for winter. Here in Massachusetts that means the perennials have been pruned, Rose bushes have been wrapped in burlap, and the gardening service has done a thorough and extensive fall clean up. Now it can snow as the garden is ready for winter! As I reflect back on the seasonal transitions, one thing that comes to mind is that spring begins with the application of fresh mulch on the flower beds and fall is over with fall clean up when these same flower beds get vacuumed off dried leaves. But in the process it causes major mulch erosion. Wouldn’t it be nice to have vegetation that acts as a permanent ground cover, so that one can do away with mulching? With this as the premise let me tell you about a lovely plant that is used as a ground cover in sunny places. It is a succulent called Blue Chalk Sticks and it is a native of Africa. I saw it growing abundantly in California this year. Below you can see a few pictures from the lovely gardens at The Getty Center in Los Angeles. Here in the Northeast it is cultivated as an indoor plant as it cannot survive the cold winter with snow.

Above: Blue Chalk Sticks at the garden in The Getty Center, LA

It is a delightful evergreen with a powdery blue-gray foliage. The form consists of simple, linear elements that look like chalk sticks. Hence the name. With its simple yet elegant forms and cool colors it creates a very cool, calming, and soothing aesthetic. Perfect to create visual relief from the excessive heat in California. When viewed closely, you can see a mix of green and blue (see above, right). However when seen from a distance it appears pastel blue in color (see above, left). So I decided to make a painting of the latter perspective. Below you can see it in progress.

Partial view of finished painting

Above: Evolution of painting

Soon enough I completed this painting and then formatted it on many products, so as to share its cool and calming aesthetic through products for daily use. Below you can see a few sample products.

Above left: Mug Set
Above right: Ceramic Tile

You can see the entire collection here. From gardening, travel, writing to discovering new plants, botanical art has a way of encompassing so many different experiences. With the onset of winter, it is a good time to reflect! With this I wish everyone a joyful resting season from gardening (during winter) and a very happy new year 2024.

Ratna