Gardens

Frances Palmer’s Life with Flowers

Drawing equally from her garden and her studio, Connecticut ceramic artist Frances Palmer conjures up floral masterpieces.

By Yankee Magazine|Feb 23 2026|

Three vases with vibrant pink, purple, and red flowers against a bright pink background on a wooden surface.

Palmer’s wood-fired pitchers with tea dust glaze provide the anchor for a cascade of early bloomers: primroses, tulips, azaleas, and muscaris.

When the signature collections of New England’s great gardens come into bloom, abundance is what dazzles. Think of the 400 or so lilac plants at Boston’s Arnold Arboretum, or the 1,000-plus peony blossoms at Hildene in Vermont, or the more than 100,000 daffodils at Rhode Island’s Blithewold—showstopping displays, all of them, of the particular flowers that have helped make these places famous.

Yet at a very special private garden in Weston, Connecticut, the magic comes not from exactly what or how much is grown, but what it inspires: namely, lush images of flowers erupting from sculptural, handmade containers of every sort. This is nature’s artistry paired with the human variety, and it is the work of gardener, photographer, and renowned potter Frances Palmer.

A ceramic artist for nearly 40 years, Palmer has more recently added published author to the list of her descriptors. First came 2020’s Life in the Studio: Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity, a photo-filled walk down her own artist’s path, followed by last year’s Life with Flowers: Inspiration and Lessons from the Garden, which intersperses images of her floral and ceramic creations with personal essays, DIY projects, recipes, and more.

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Given the luxuriant blooms that appear in Life with Flowers, one may well expect gardening advice, too, which Palmer helpfully provides. But speaking late last year from her studio, she said what she most wants aspiring gardeners to know is that perfection isn’t the goal. “I’d say, ‘Be prepared to make a lot of mistakes.’ I don’t even consider them mistakes, but more like trial and error,” she said. “Learning what works in your own space takes years, not a year, you know. Just be patient and learn from things that didn’t go so well.” —Jenn Johnson