Garden Flora

This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

How lucky is this shot! Though the one in flight isn't crystal clear, I was elated that I got this neat image!! This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

(for those of you who are interested in seeing my San Francisco trip images, I have uploaded 10 pictures in this batch [88 in the past couple of weeks]. Thanks everyone for your comments and your visits to my photostream! I hope you enjoy the show!) This is the first of many pictures I took at the Conservatory of Flower's jaw-dropping Dahlia Garden. Never in my entire life have I ever seen such an enormous garden of absolutely perfect flowers! My friend Laura spotted them and in the end, she had to drag me away, kicking and screaming the whole way! There were dozens upon dozens of varieties to drool at, and I could have spent the whole day taking pictures of these intensely beautiful flowers. In the following days, you'll see lots of dahlia images sprinkled throughout my San Francisco: Golden Gate Park images...I hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them! By the way, for those of you who may not know, there is a very fun, free Flickr competition site which you might like to take part in. It's called FlickrDuel and features dozens of ongoing competitions, or duels every day. You can enter your pictures into many different categories and vote on contests too. It's another way to enjoy your photography! This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

This image was taken in my old neighborhood during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

(for those of you who are interested in seeing my San Francisco trip images, I have uploaded 10 pictures in this batch [178 in the past few weeks]. Thanks everyone for your comments and your visits to my photostream! I hope you enjoy the show!) (Oh, and yes, I know there are really too many pictures to be uploading at one time but I have too many images I want to put into my Flickr stream so it just can't be helped!) Ok, I have a confession to make. I didn't see this amazing Passion Flower in Golden Gate Park. It was on the walkway to the Golden Gate Bridge. I walked by and then it hit me....o...m...g...PASSION FLOWERS!!! Turn your butt around, stop looking at the bridge! You MUST take pictures of these amazing flowers!!! So I spent about 10 minutes taking pictures from different angles of these insanely beautiful, wacky flowers. Don't they look like they're from another planet?! By the way, for those of you who may not know, there is a very fun, free Flickr competition site which you might like to take part in. It's called FlickrDuel and features dozens of ongoing competitions, or duels every day. You can enter your pictures into many different categories and vote on contests too. It's another way to enjoy your photography! This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

Thanks everyone for your comments and your visits to my photostream! I hope you enjoy the show! I saw this white flower with the sun shining through its petals and just about fell over. What a beauty. I did my best to capture what I saw. :) By the way, for those of you who may not know, there is a very fun, free Flickr competition site which you might like to take part in. It's called FlickrDuel and features dozens of ongoing competitions, or duels every day. You can enter your pictures into many different categories and vote on contests too. It's another way to enjoy your photography! Winner of FlickrDuel contest: Versus: Flora This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

[+1 in a note above] One of the reasons I love Flickr so much is the inspiration I get from the pictures I see. I once saw an image of a single wild oat taken directly from above and it was so totally cool and awesome that it completely changed the way I see natural subjects. I am always on the lookout for that super cool top-down view that isolates a simple subject and makes it special. Yesterday I posted pictures of a False Dandilion , and if you'll look at the second picture I posted, you'll see some buds from a side view. Here we get to see what a bud looks like when it's trying to impersonate the Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings! I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) Explored on June 12, 2012, placement at #33

In the parking lot where everyone met for our ride, I spent some time taking pictures after we got back. This was one of the pictures I took while a couple of the riders came over to see what I was taking a picture of! :)

This morning as Steve and I were waiting for riders to arrive, I spent every moment taking pictures! I saw this dandelion head and thought, "Oh heck, I'll give it another try." I always see such AMAZING pictures of these seed heads but I never seem to capture the magic I've been hoping for. Maybe I got lucky today...it is by far my best attempt yet! :) By the way, I didn't do any clarity on this image at all, only a very minor Levels alteration, cropping, and a frame.

[best appreciated at full size against black] Even though we have no roses blooming on this international day of romance, I did happen to go out this morning and find this lovely sight waiting for me to capture! This image was taken in February, 2012 This image was taken in February, 2012. (Explored on February 13, 2011)

Yesterday Steve and I went on an outing with our photo club here in southern Oregon, and we went to an EMU RANCH!! I took a zillion pictures of the amazing birds, but I also went crazy taking pictures around the immaculately tended gardens. One of my favorite flowers is a Bleeding Heart, and when I saw these, I just about did backflips all over the yard! When I got home, I looked through my pictures and when I saw this one, I was so happy that I had to process it immediately because it turned out so nicely! I feel so happy to have gotten the chance to take pictures of this lovely flower at its peak of beauty!! The Old-Fashioned Bleeding Heart is native to eastern Asia from Siberia to Japan and grows from late spring to early summer. Contact with this flower can sometimes cause skin irritation, so best not to touch! :) Interestingly, this plant was once classified in a different genus (Dicentra), and certainly looks similar to the Western Bleeding Heart that I have seen, but it's different enough that it was reclassified. If you would like to know more about Old-Fashioned Bleeding Hearts, Wiki has a page here: Wiki: Old-Fashioned Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :)

2 more pictures above ! :) I would also like to add this comment that was submitted by another very dear friend here on ipernity, Leapfrog (Art) . It is so suitable that I will delete most of my description in favor of his perfect addition. Thanks Art. You rock. *big hugs* ------------------------------------------------ Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae, MD, was a Canadian Poet, Physician, Author, Artist and Soldier during World War I, and a Surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. During that time, a close friend and former student, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer of Ottawa was killed by an Enemy shell. The next day, sitting on the back of an ambulance, McCrae vented his anguish by composing a poem: In Flanders Fields In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. I remember those Women and Men that gave of their lives, so that we may all enjoy the freedoms and advantages we have today in our great country. I hope those Veterans who have and will return from our recent conflicts, equally enjoy the freedoms and advantages that they have provided. Sincerely Art ------------------------------- This is my shortened description: I saw these beautiful, blazing red poppies this morning, shining in the bright sunlight. Still drizzled with morning dew, this blossom was just opening up and looked amazing! I still can't believe these flowers are STILL BLOOMING since I planted them in April and they began blooming in July...they just keep going and going. An incredible flower which I would recommend to anyone who wants a carefree, gorgeous flower that just keeps on giving! :) Richard Norman "Doc" Hastings (born February 7, 1941) is the U.S. Representative for Washington's 4th congressional district, serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes most of central Washington and the southern half of Eastern Washington, including the Tri-Cities, Yakima, and Wenatchee. Wikipedia: Doc Hastings Explored on Tuesday, November 12. Highest placement, page 7.

15 more pictures above in notes! Over the past year, I have accumulated a massive library of photography, as I created pictures every day for my 365 project. Almost without exception, I got several--if not dozens upon dozens--of images that I wanted badly to process and share, but could not due to time constrains. I hoped that at some point I could revisit some of these pictures and give some a moment to shine. This beautiful iris was photographed at a friend's estate last May, where she and her husband have planted countless irises all over the many acres around their home. We were invited to spend the day taking pictures and I found myself overcome by the variety and stunning colors of the countless irises in bloom there. Today I will be sharing just this one spectacular blossom, but I've processed many others, which I'll upload at a later date. I'm so happy to showcase one of these flowers for my A-Z project!! By the way, on that day, we arrived home very late, after a lovely dinner with them, and I had to process one of the very first pictures I took because I could not spend the time to look through the many hundreds of pictures I took that day! You will see that picture above in a note, as well as the other pictures I had time to process from my visit. I never even touched the iris pictures because there were far too many to look at and I wanted to take the time to look at them carefully. Enjoy the show! :) Explored on April 11, 2014. Highest placement, #1.

(5 more pictures above in notes! :D) I used to think that a Jonquil was any kind of daffodil, but I found out that it's actually a specific type. In truth, "Jonquil" is an accepted term for "daffodil in some places, so I was very tempted to open my selection to every daffodil in my archives. But...no, I wanted to show a true jonquil. Narcissus jonquilla flowers are smaller in size and grow as clusters from one stem. They are also the most fragrant of all daffodils. To my surprise, I have very few pictures of these fragrant beauties. Although we have some growing in our yard, I immediately remembered the grouping I photographed last Spring at my friend's home. The same friend who has the beautiful irises in fact! :) Weeks before, we visited to take pictures of her daffodils, and she'd picked a bunch of them for the house. I remember how wonderful these smelled! If you would like to know more about these flowers, Wiki has a page here: Wikipedia: Jonquils Explored on April 15, 2014. Highest placement, #1.

(+16 in notes above!) Last summer, from July until late November, I was given a never-ending poppy show. Every morning I would step outside and see the new blossoms glowing in the morning sunshine and the sight would take my breath away. These flowers are a photographer's dream, with extremely translucent petals and a rainbow of gorgeous colors. I have two very exciting comments to add! The first is that my poppies have reseeded themselves and I have counted half a dozen poppy buds that are already forming! That's three months earlier than last year!! My second exciting bit of news is that I purchased a huge assortment of poppy flower seeds which I will be planting on May 1, which is the official "last day of frost" here in southern Oregon. I can hardly wait! :) Explored on April 22, 2014. Highest placement, #1.

Steve and I went shopping the other day and I had my camera with me. There was a garden center so I went around happily capturing the beautiful flowers, and when I came to this one I stopped and gawked. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PURPLE FLOWER!! This flower was a bit of a challenge to process. The focus was just what I wanted, showing the fine detail of hairs, stamen and anthers. The narrow leaves falling away into bokeh with the glow of light was working too and the color was also right. But the background out of camera....it was too close in value to the flower and took attention away. I tried a few things...making the background really light to make those petals pop...but then I lost the hairs, which are one of my favorite things about this blossom. I could make it go to black...but then the leaves looked horrendous and also, there are a couple of places in this image where the hairs are not on a dark background, and they looked awful. So, I tried darkening as much as I could get away with...and that worked. It's not perfect and I'd really like more separation between the flower and the background, but considering the fact that I took this picture at a gardening section in a store's greenhouse, surrounded by other plastic potted plants, I felt a bit victorious with this result. :) By the way, here's a search on ipernity for Pasque flower, and you can see some of the incredible results when there are better conditions! And also, I didn't know that this flower is very uncommon in this color! ipernity Search:Pasque Explored on May 17, 2014. Highest placement, #1.

(+1 inset, showing our metal trough planter full of flowers) Note: I just finished writing the first of a series of blog posts about my new garden! My New Adventure: A Raised Bed Flower Garden! (There are several posts now, the bottom of each links to the next) Last August, I asked Steve to bring home some seeds so I could conduct an experiment: I wanted to see if I could get a fast-blooming plant like a Zinnia to bloom before frost in November. He found a 25¢ deal on flower seeds and brought home a bunch of them. One of them was Sweet Williams. When I discovered they were "biennial", I thought they would never bloom, so I took a bunch and tossed them in my metal trough planter and some in my front flower garden, since it wouldn't hurt and I didn't think they would grow anyway. (The deer ate my experiments, boo!) This spring, something strange plants started growing in each garden. The tops were green and fuzzy, sort of like a Tribble on a stem. Having no idea what this odd plant could be, I waited and wondered. I specifically didn't look on the internet because I simply love flower surprises! One day, about three weeks ago, I saw a bud forming and I could see that the whole top would be covered with them. A couple of days later, the first flower opened and I could hardly believe the beauty of this gorgeous flower! It was a Sweet William, and I'd never seen one face to face before! Stunned by its beauty, I remembered they are in the carnation family, so I leaned in to smell... mmmmmm... sweet and spicy, the classic and unmistakable carnation fragrance! About then it suddenly ocurred to me: the metal trough was FULL of these "Tribble Tops", dozens and dozens of them, plus a couple in the front flower bed. I was in for a SHOW!! (See the inset picture) What a show it has been, and I am so dazzled by these flowers! They are a mix of colors ranging from white to purple, with varigated forms, and they are positively, drop-dead gorgeous. They are now among my favorite flowers, and I'll be sharing more pictures through the year! :) Explored on May 27, 2014. Highest placement, #1.

(+1 inset) (By the way, I have three articles for Part 8 on my Garden Adventure articles...ENJOY! Part 8a—Dreams of a Big Flower Garden, 1-Month Update: The Good Part 8b—Dreams of a Big Flower Garden, 1-Month Update: The Bad Part 8c—Dreams of a Big Flower Garden, 1-Month Update: The Ugly I have tried a few times now to grow tulips. The deer and other animals thank me for my efforts and eat them all before they bloom. Next year will be different because I'll have fencing around my garden but this year was another failure. I did get pictures of one brave tulip that managed to make it nearly to the day it would open! (See the inset) A couple of years ago, Steve and I got the chance to to to an Emu farm, and it was an experience I will never forget. Aside from the emus, the farm was complete with a vegetable garden, an orchard, and everywhere there were flowers planted, including this tulip. Thanks to my A-Z project, I finally got the chance to process this picture, one that I was so happy with and have wanted to share since I first saw it. :) Explored on June 3, 2014. Highest placement, #1.