In 1992, the USPS issued a pane of 50 stamps, each depicting a different American wildflower. This series proved to be so popular that the USPS followed up with a colorful stamp booklet for each season honoring American garden flowers. Starting with the spring issue, the booklets were produced from 1993 to 1996. The artwork for each of these beautiful garden scenes depicts five seasonal flowers clustered together in bouquet format.
Spring Garden Flowers Issue
Spring Garden Flowers approved stamp art
ISSUE Spring Garden Flowers
MEDIUM matboard; gouache; pencil
ILLUSTRATOR Ned Seidler
ART DIRECTOR Derry Noyes
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE May 15, 1993
The USPS initiated this seasonal issue with multicolored stamps representing the arrival of spring blooms. This group includes five colorful flowers, four of which—the hyacinth, daffodil, tulip, and iris—are grown from bulbs and another, the lilac, which is a shrub.
Summer Garden Flowers Issue
Summer Garden Flowers approved stamp art
ISSUE Summer Garden Flowers
MEDIUM matboard; gouache; pencil
ILLUSTRATOR Ned Seidler
ART DIRECTOR Derry Noyes
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE May 15, 1993
The summer blooming flowers design features favorites such as the lily, zinnia, gladiolus (which the USPS mistakenly labeled “gladiola”), marigold, and the rose. Two kinds of roses are shown. The one at the bottom is a yellow blossom, and the other, larger rose is called a Hybrid Tea Rose.
Fall Garden Flowers Issue
Fall Garden Flowers approved stamp art
ISSUE Fall Garden Flowers
MEDIUM matboard; gouache; pencil
ILLUSTRATOR Ned Seidler
ART DIRECTOR Derry Noyes
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE May 15, 1993
The selected fall blooms were the aster, chrysanthemum, dahlia, hydrangea, and the rudbeckia. Including hydrangea as a fall flowering plant illustrates the difficulty of seasonal categories, since this flower is sometimes regarded as a late spring or summer bloom. Unlike the other seasonal issues, here the artist allowed for space between the individual flowers.
Winter Garden Flowers Issue
Winter Garden Flowers approved stamp art
ISSUE Winter Garden Flowers
MEDIUM matboard; gouache; pencil
ILLUSTRATOR Ned Seidler
ART DIRECTOR Derry Noyes
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE May 15, 1993
This artwork represents the final issue for the Garden Flowers stamp series. The winter flowers—crocus, winter aconite, pansy, snowdrop, and anemone—are depicted close together, as though actually growing in a garden.
