I got a phone call this morning from a lady down around Olympia who had come across my wildflowers website. She hadn’t found a plant on the site that she’d seen on a walk near her home and asked if she could send me a JPEG to identify it for her. I get these requests pretty frequently, but usually by e-mail, so I said “yes” and she sent a file while we were still on the phone.
It only took a glance to know that her mystery plant was the very common garden groundcover, Vinca minor. The common name is periwinkle. It’s a plant I learned as a small child because my dad had it in our garden. It’s native to southern Switzerland and south to the Mediterranean. continue reading »
Comfortable, attractive outdoor living spaces never go out of style. Ideas from one part of the country can usually be adapted to other regions, so a photo of an inviting space makes a great magazine cover.
As sure as February rolls around so does the Northwest Flower & Garden Show at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. It’s a time to oogle the display gardens, shop for cool new plants, and visit with friends. This year’s show ends ended on Sunday, February 12.
Twistin' the Night Away display garden
The cavernous fourth floor exhibit hall comes to life with more than twenty exquitely designed and constructed display gardens. The one above was called “Twistin’ the Night Away” and featured a corkscrew willow graphic as a backdrop to an arbor-framed patio. Each of the garden designers worked within the Floral Symphony show theme, coming up with some musical connection. continue reading »
We leave the Christmas lights on the Korean Fir in our front yard garden through much of January to brighten the long winter nights and in hopes of getting a little snow.
Outside Christmas Tree in the Snow
This year we had to wait until January 17 to get our first snowfall of the winter. Tonight, the 18th, I took my camera outside in the bitter cold to photograph the tree and its setting. I used my Canon 1Ds Mk II with a 16-35mm lens and photographed at the widest setting. I wanted to emphasize the space and separate the tree from our house and other buildings in the neighborhood. continue reading »
I spent the day yesterday at the 2011 Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle. It’s become an annual journey down the freeway to partake of early-season gardening inspiration, as well as a time to reconnect with many good friends in the garden writing and photography community. The show is one of the world’s best garden shows, both from the standpoint of the display gardens and the array of vendors selling plants and garden goodies. It runs through Sunday, February 27 so you’ve still got a couple of days to make it to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center [map] in downtown Seattle.
For the last couple of years I’ve put together a video slideshow of the display gardens and 2011 is no exception. I hope you enjoy it. Then scroll down for some tips on photographing in the garden show environment.
