Books about flowers and gardening are especially treasured this time of year because now is when all the grand plans for next years garden are in full swing. I rely on my favorite flower authors to spark my imagination, answer my questions and inspire me to have a bigger, healthier and more spectacular garden every year. Here are a few of my very favorites.

“The Flower Hunter” series by Lucy Hunter. Lucy is a remarkable human and landscape designer. I’ve attended her workshop and she couldn’t be more delightful. Her books are a lavish escape for anyone who loves flowers. Her first book takes you on “an inspiring journey through a year in her garden”. The second, a “beautiful, inspirational, fun book with gorgeous photos. tutorials and essays.”

“The Cut Flower Garden” is authored by the prolific and frankly amazing Erin Benzakein of Floret Flower Farm. So many of us have watched in awe as this delightful flower farmer grow and manage an amazing business. This book is part instruction manual, part seasonal diary. I can’t imaging any gardener not loving this book.

“Flowers and their Meanings” was given to me by my husband last Christmas, and I will always cherish it. Inside you “step into the long-lost world of floriography; a fancy language from the Victorian era.” Illustrations and descriptions share the fascinating meanings and uses for dozens of flowers. Did you know a peony stands for “bashful and shame”?

Frances Palmer is an acclaimed potter and gardener. Her book “Life with Flowers” is a “master class in flower gardening and arranging”. Her arrangements are stunning and her photography really does them justice. All grown on a tennis court on her sweeping Connecticut property. Truly a delight and her exquisite pottery is an added bonus.

“The Cut Flower Sourcebook” by Rachel Siegfried is a must have for any gardener. She introduces and describes 128 different perennial plants and how to grow them. This book is so helpful and practical for any style of garden.

Personal gifts and cards are more appreciated then ever these days. Here’s a simple way to create a lovely card or piece of small art that would make anyone smile.

•Start by taking some close up photos (your phone is perfect for this) of flowers in your garden, a park or even a garden center store. Make sure to get as close up as you can, and in good light (shade that isn’t too dark). Try shooting some leaves that you find interesting as well.

Welcome to my new flower-filled world! The redesign of KareyBancroft.com has been a labor of love and I’m so excited to share it.

I like to think of my brand as a lovely “luxury picnic” with all the flowers I love to grow combined with the happy checks, dots, plaids and stripes that help create the whimsical style I love. Now I’m not only making art, but have designed fun new products that feature my collages.

I’ve had a camera in my hand since I was 8. My dad bought my sisters and I each our own Kodak Instamatic camera; a decision he came to regret when we would shoot hundreds, maybe thousands, of pictures of our cat Butterscotch and then hand him the film to get developed. I still have a photo album from 5th grade filled with black and white shots of school field trips, family vacations, and the cat.