Mother's Day: say it with flowers

wonder | wander | women celebrate Mother's Day twice a year: first in the UK for Mothering Sunday in March, and then in the US and Philippines for the more familiar Mothers' Day. And like many people around the world, we celebrate with flowers.

Rose in watercolour

We love taking pictures of especially lush or unusual flowers and sending them to friends and family for Mother's Day. Flowers are universal symbols of life, love and beauty, which is why they're so popular on this day. 

Flower sketches in fountain pen

Ever since I learned to draw and paint flowers properly, I love to send my work as presents. Whenever Mom has a birthday I make her a special painting, but it's also fun to send a little flower picture for Mother's Day.

Kalachuchi in watercolour

Their complexity and intense colour make them a challenge and a pleasure to draw. As we walk around our neighbourhoods, anywhere in the world, we can't resist taking pictures of flowers. And when we go on holiday (especially when we're together!) we love documenting the local flora.

Rose in watercolour from sketchbook

Noticing flowers, taking pictures of them and then sitting down and trying to capture their essence...this routine is the best antidote to all the doomscrolling and screen time we've been doing recently.

Lotus in brush pen and watercolour

We also prefer to draw the specific flowers we see as we walk around our daily routes. Sending each other the flora of our adopted homes helps us build a sense of place. It's also fun to contrast the bold tropical flowers with their crazy shapes against the more familiar garden flowers of temperate countries.

Double sakura with fountain pen and light watercolour wash

The seasonal flowers are the most fun because they give a sense of time as well as place. Of course everyone who reads this blog knows how much we love spring flowers, especially sakura (cherry blossoms). Every time I see them I want to share them with Mom.

There are so many parks and gardens in London, even in the busiest areas, and Londoners are so devoted to plants and especially flowers. We've seen garden centers, large and small parks, garden squares, churchyards, conservatories all bursting with carefully tended flowering plants. Even private houses we pass on the street have such gorgeous flora in the front yard we can only imagine how amazing their back gardens must be.

Camellia in watercolour

Mom and I might not be in the "little house with the big garden" that she's always wanted, but it makes me happy to share these paintings with her. Every Mother's Day, whether in the UK, the Philippines, or the US, I'll always be happy and grateful that she's my mom. Happy Mother's Day!