There's a particular moment in April that I've been chasing for years.
It's not dramatic. There's no single bloom that stops you in your tracks the way a peony does in May, no riot of color that makes you reach for your phone. April is quieter than that. It's the moment you crouch down in the kitchen garden and realize the radishes have finally pushed through - small and red and improbably cheerful - and right next to them, the snap peas are beginning to curl their tendrils around anything they can find. The chive blossoms are starting to purple up at the tips. Everything is tender, a little chaotic, and not quite fully formed.
That's the moment I wanted to paint. And that's where the April collection begins.
Why I Started A Year in the Garden
A Year in the Garden is a project I've been working on for the past year - a collection of original botanical art that follows the seasons as they actually unfold, one drop per month, from January through December.
The idea started simply: I wanted to make art that was honest about what the garden really looks like at each moment of the year. Not idealized. Not a generic floral arrangement that could belong to any season. The real thing. The specific plants, the specific light, the specific feeling of standing in your garden in April when everything is just beginning.
Each month I spend time outside just observing. What's actually growing? What's reaching its peak right now? What would I miss if I blinked? Then I bring that back to the studio and paint it into an illustration that becomes the foundation for that month's collection.
April kept giving me the same answer, every time I went outside: radishes, snap peas, chive blossoms, clover. The kitchen garden before it gets loud. That's what I painted. That's what the April collection is.
The April Illustration![]()
The April illustration features radishes, snap peas, chive blossoms, and clover arranged in an abundant, grounded composition on a warm cream background. I wanted it to feel like something you'd actually find growing together in a real kitchen garden - not too perfect, not too sparse. Layered and alive.
What I love most about this illustration is the way it translates across such different products. On the journal cover, it feels intimate and writerly. On the table runner, it becomes almost architectural. The repeating pattern creates something that reads as a considered piece of home decor from across the room. On the apron, those little scattered botanicals at the hem corners feel like the garden itself is spilling over the edges.
The same art. A dozen different lives!
Shop the April Collection
For the Writer & Note-Taker
Garden Notes Hardcover Journal
$22, Ships free | Shop Here
This is the journal I'd want in my own bag. 150 cream-colored lined pages, perforated pages for easy tear-out, and original botanical art on a matte sage hardcover. Made for the gardener who knows the value of writing things down — what's growing, what worked, and what to try differently next year.
Spring Botanical Hardcover Journal (White Cover)
$22, Ships free | Shop Here
Same journal, cleaner look. The same original April illustration on a crisp white ground with no text — just art. A little more understated, a little more gallery-forward. Equally beautiful.
For the Table
Spring Garden Table Runner
$52, Ships free | Shop Here
Ninety inches of original botanical art on a warm cream background. The illustration is arranged as an elegant repeating tile pattern that looks intentional and considered from across the room. Water-resistant polyester, machine washable on cold or warm, tumble dry low. It earns its place on the table every single day.
Spring Garden Placemat Set of 4
$62, Ships free | Shop Here
A set of four placemats featuring just the snap pea motif from the April illustration — pods, trailing vines, and scattered green peas arranged as a delicate border frame. Understated enough for a weeknight dinner, pretty enough for company. Water-resistant, sewn two-ply, hemmed on all sides. 18″ × 14″ each.
For the Kitchen
April Botanical Apron
$56, Ships free | Shop Here
For the gardener who grows it and cooks it too. The full April illustration is centered at the chest, with small scattered botanicals at the hem corners. 31.5″ × 25.6″, comfortable tie-back closure, one size fits most. The kind of apron you put on quickly and forget you're wearing — right up until someone asks where you got it.
April Botanical Mug
$22, Ships free | Shop Here
A 15oz ceramic mug featuring the original April botanical illustration on white. Microwave and dishwasher safe. The kind of mug that earns a permanent spot on the shelf and makes every other mug feel a little plain.
For the Market & Every Day
Spring Garden Tote Bag
$30, Ships free | Shop Here
The April illustration printed all over both sides on a warm cream background with black cotton bull denim handles. 15″ × 15″, holds up to 44 lbs. Farmers market ready, beautiful every day.
For the Walls
April Fine Art Print
From $48, Ships free | Shop Here
This is the one I'm most proud of. The April botanical illustration printed on acid-free, 100% cotton rag paper with a cold press matte finish — the same quality you'd find in a gallery. 12″ × 12″, with my signature printed on the front. Available unframed ($48) or framed and ready to hang ($74) in your choice of six frame finishes: black, white, natural, gold, espresso, or maple. Every framed print comes with optical-grade acrylic glazing and a sawtooth hanger — no hardware required.
A Note on Gifting
If you've been looking for a Mother's Day or birthday gift for the woman who loves her garden, her kitchen, or beautiful things in general — this collection was made with her in mind. Every piece ships free, and the products work together as a set if you want to build something worth unwrapping slowly.
A mug and a journal is a beautiful $44 combination. The apron and mug together is a complete kitchen gift. And the fine art print on its own is the kind of thing that goes up on a wall and stays there for decades.
What's Coming Next
The garden is already changing, and I've been out there watching it. Subscribe to my Art Studio Newsletter to follow along and see what comes next!
Want to explore other monthly collections? Check out January, and February.
Shop the full "A Year In the Garden" collection 🌿
Every piece ships free! Questions? Reach out to me here.
— Courtney Hopkins, Tiny Pine Art
