VND5151 Peel Enterprises Inc Jo’s Hand Pressed Herbarium Prints – Ginkgo Tree ’21

This print is a reproduction of floral art pressed by Joanna herself—as part of her personal herbarium collection.

In Jo’s words:

Years ago, as my interest in gardening was growing, I started to collect vintage garden books. Any time I went antiquing or stepped into a bookshop, I’d gather whatever old books I could on the subject. Inside the best ones, between lessons on species names, were origin stories of another kind: pressed flowers from the gardens of those whose hands held these pages long before mine. Soil smeared sections where flowers had been tucked in and taped over, and below were handwritten lines: Beginner gardeners triumphing over their first bloom, dates of fall gardens planted. Family trees illustrated through flowers snipped by sisters and mothers beside aunts and grandmothers. They were stories of moments sown and memories reaped.

I remember a feeling like relief wash over me, to see these stories living on, to see how something that’s made to bloom then die, to live for only a short while, could actually be pressed to last. And so, once our own garden was alive and growing, the kids and I started a book of our own that we’ve added to every season since. Texas wildflowers, thin white daisies, and our favorite pink verbena fill its pages. One book became two, and now there are heaps of found flowers that fill the shelves of our herbarium at the farm. Some in books, others framed, even more cataloged by species and season. In the act of pressing flowers, we’ve preserved moments and memories from our lives.

As part of my personal collection of pressed floral art, this print celebrates the gift of preservation. In savoring the beauty of today, we can share in a richer, more meaningful tomorrow.

From our garden to your home,

Joanna

This piece was featured on Mini Reni, a Magnolia Network series highlighting how small design updates can make a big impact.