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I have an ambivalent relationship with calendars. Being organized is one of my strong suits, but I also have a deep deep hatred of life-admin. And I don’t mean the work meetings, the webinars and the video calls that come part and parcel of being your own boss. I’m referring to the pesky recurring tasks of a personal nature that just seem to love playing a game of whack-a-mole with my overstretched nerves.
I mean, I’ll do them. I’ll schedule a dental cleaning and pay my municipal taxes on time and send my meter readings and schedule the fur bud’s yearly checkup. But I’ll grumble and I’ll crumble all the way through, because just seeing these things on my calendar gives me the adulting heebie-jeebies.
At the same time, I need a calendar in plain sight (usually in the kitchen and on my desk) just to keep track of days, especially with the kind of repetitive and monotonous couple of years we’ve had with lockdown after lockdown. I do have a stack of planners on my desk – for various projects and ideas, but a calendar is the command center of it all.
So the best compromise I came up with is using a digital calendar for work and life-admin, and using pretty botanical calendars for the fun stuff: birthdays, day trips and (eventually) seeing friends. Damned if I’ll ruin any of my plant calendars with notes of dentist appointments!
The reason I’m writing about calendars about a month too late (in the middle of January, that is) is because I’ve been dithering between which one to get way into the new year. But I’m forgiven, since January is my birth month, so that’s when my year starts anyway.
And for a brief second there, in the fog of last November, I actually thought I’d finally mustered up enough commitment to make my own calendar. It was to be a work of beauty, with photos I took every month in the past to mark the present month and serve as reminders of happy times. Oh, you sweet procrastinating soul! Making my own calendar is just not going to happen this year.
Last year I got an absolutely gorgeous calendar from Laivi Illustration, but her shop was taking a break when I checked.
Never one to skip an opportunity to curate a collection, allow me to show you all the botanical calendars that made my shortlist (and the one I actually ended up ordering).
Note: Just in case you come across this post later in the year when calendars are no longer available, I’m linking directly to the maker’s shop. Just check the Calendar tab under “ALL” to see what’s available.
1. Tropical leaf print calendar from Earth and Alchemy
What I like about it: it’s unbound, so once the year is over, you can cut out the illustrations and use them as prints.
2. Green thumb calendar from Brown Parcel Press
What I like about it: the minimalist modern illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. I dare you to not crave a tomato (or a bunch of them) after looking at the page for the month of July.
3. Wildflower calendar from Mini Press
What I like about it: the understated floral artwork and the wobbly lines of the calendar grid.
4. Houseplant desk calendar from MMPaperGoods
What I like about it: I made my own wooden desk calendar stand, and this calendar is the perfect size for it. And since my desk is already full of plant pots, I prefer a smaller desk calendar. Once the month is done, I’ll just cut the illustrations and maybe use them in a collage.
5. Illustrated houseplants calendar by Nadia Hassan
What I like about it: I love the totally flashy vibrant colors and the variety of houseplants in this calendar.
6. Art Nouveau calendar from Earth Planners
What I like about it: It was hard to pick a calendar from this shop because of how gorgeous all their vintage illustrations are. In the end, I’d go for the Art Nouveau botanical calendar because I’m envisioning it will go together beautifully with an Alphonse Mucha print I brought back from my trip to Prague.
7. Watercolor cat and houseplants desk calendar by Shanvi Prints
What I like about it: Cats and plants! Need I say more? Two of my life passions. The only thing missing is a cup of coffee in every illustration and then I would really be my life in a nutshell.
8. Desert Delights calendar by Sandie Conry
What I like about it: A departure from illustrated plant calendars, but still very much the perfect gift for plant lovers. This calendar includes a stunning collection of photographs by Sandie Conry from her trip to Arizona and its beautiful botanical gardens.
9. Whimsical botanical botanical pattern calendar by Floating Thistle Paper
What I like about it: The gorgeous illustrations remind me of ornate wallpaper that I spent a whole vacation photographing (and swooning over) in castles strewn about along the Rhine Valley.
10. Cozy shops and markets calendar by Phoebe and June
What I like about it: Cute little illustrated storefronts (a bookshop, a bakery, an outdoor gear shop, a cheese shop, etc.) with flowers and potted plants in the windows.
11. Houseplant vignettes calendar by Betsy Garcia of Bloomwolf Studio
What I like about it: Not just houseplants, but houseplant vignettes. The illustrations look very cozy. Check out the cute state and city prints by Betsy Garcia, even if you’re not on the market for a calendar.
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