Australia's Wattle, Painted From The Living Plant.
Meryl Bell painted Acacia pycnantha from specimens in front of her. The grey-green phyllodes, the density of the racemes, a hundred small gold spheres held in place.
Each product in our Wattle collection showcases the glorious Golden Wattle. An organic linen tea towel for the kitchen, hand-moulded birchwood trays for the table, a canvas tote for the farmers market are all made to give, to send, and to use for years.
THE FLOWER
Golden Wattle
Acacia Pycnantha
Australia's national floral emblem, proclaimed in 1988. Broad sickle-shaped phyllodes and large, loosely held globular heads, the most generously scented of the two. It appears on the tea towel and the Floral Emblems art card.
Native to south-eastern Australia · flowers late winter into spring
THE ARTIST
Meryl Bell painted wattle the way a gardener looks at it.
Not a motif, a botanical study. Meryl worked from living specimens, which is why the detail holds up to the kind of attention only a plant person gives it. One customer put it simply: "the flora is exactly as we see them."
Thirty years on, her paintings are still the founding source of everything we make. Nothing is drawn to fill a product; the product is chosen to suit the painting.
"If my paintings make people stop for a moment to look, enjoy and wonder, then I will have succeeded."
THE COLLECTION
Australia's national floral emblem, a collection to give and to keep.
GIFTING & SENDING
Choosing for someone else
Most of what leaves us is a gift, and a good number of those go overseas. If you're deciding for someone else, this is how we'd steer you.
Sending it overseas
The tea towels and the boxed set are light, flat and post well, which is why they're what most people choose for family abroad. We post worldwide, with rates at checkout.
For a keen gardener
Meryl painted the wattle from living plants, not photographs, which is why a gardener will look twice. The kind of gift for someone who actually knows what they're looking at.
For a host or housewarming
The round tray is the piece people keep on display between uses - 39cm, food and dishwasher safe, and it earns its place on an open shelf.
If you're not sure yet
A gift card lets them choose the flower themselves, which native-plant people usually have views about. Or write to us, we'll help you pick.
"I treated myself to this tray and it is beautiful. It's a great size to load up with lots of glasses when entertaining. I keep it on display in my kitchen as it is so pretty."
A C BROAD — GLOWING WATTLE TRAY
"I love my Bell Art tote! It's super practical and adds a touch of nature's beauty to my everyday life."
NARELLE, MIRANDA NSW — ORGANIC CANVAS TOTE
Part proceeds from every piece support the Australian Flora Foundation.
The Foundation funds scientific research into the biology, conservation and cultivation of Australian plants, including the acacias. Celebrating the flora is the point; helping fund the research behind it is how we make that mean something.
Good to know
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Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha), the national floral emblem.
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Standard shipping typically takes 5-7 business days. Express shipping options are available at checkout.
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Yes, we ship to most countries worldwide. Shipping costs and delivery times vary by location.
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Once your order ships, you'll receive a tracking number via email. You can use this to monitor your delivery status.
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Everything is designed here in Australia. All of our stationery, paper and aromatic products are made in Australia. The trays are hand-moulded from FSC-certified birchwood on the island of Öland in Sweden. The tea towels and the canvas tote are made in India using GOTS-certified organic fibre, eco-friendly dyes and fair-trade practices with full traceability. We say so on every product rather than leaving it vague.
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The printing is high-resolution digital from the original paintings, so the botanical detail carries, the phyllode edges and the individual flower heads all survive. If a piece arrives and it isn't what you hoped, write to us and we'll make it right.