Tag Archives | Gardening Gone Wild

Photos in the Garden

Wisteria on my entry gate April 2, 2013

Want a tip on how to take good garden pictures ? Pick up your camera and go out into a garden. You can’t get good pictures if you don’t take any pictures. Put yourself in a position to make something happen.

April 2 was a day to take photos in my own garden. It was overcast and still – a gift for a garden photographer. A day to ignore computer deadlines and take pictures. There have been too many times I regretted missing this sort of opportunity, and spring was calling. Continue Reading →

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Why Pathways Are Such A Compelling Element In The Garden

When I began learning about garden design, I became intrigued with paths – no – make that obsessed. Maybe it dates back to my childhood memories of The Wizard of Oz. Who doesn’t remember when Dorothy reaches a crossroads on her journey to the Wizard and is confused about which way to go ~ and how the talking tree chimes in with his opinion?

Fran Sorin Garden – top level in backyard

Fran Sorin Garden- Front Pathway

The dictionary describes a path as:

~ a way beaten, formed, or trodden by the feet of persons or animals.

~ a narrow walk or way: a path through a garden; a bicycle path.

~ a route, course, or track along which something moves: the path of a hurricane.4.

~ a course of action, conduct, or procedure: the path of righteousness.

Paths are a lot more than that. They can create a sense of mystery. Or a feeling of excitement, anticipation and fear ~ even a journey into the unknown. And when it comes to garden making, without well laid out paths, our gardens are chaotic.

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Photographing Grasses

Toe Toe Grass in the garden of Linda Cochran

More than any other group of plants, I love to photograph grasses. They bring light, motion, and texture to gardens. They range widely in size and color, and mix well into all garden styles, from beds and borders to meadows and in containers. Because they are so versatile in blending into gardens they can be hard to photograph.

I began to understand how to capture their ornamental effects years ago while working on my Grasses book with Nancy Ondra. Of all the pictures in the book, the one above in Linda Cochran’s garden, of the tall arching Toe Toe Grass (Cortaderia richardii) was to define how I saw grasses and how I photographed them. Continue Reading →

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Seeing the Garden 2.6 – Details and Vignettes

When you set out to photograph a garden, don’t miss the details and vignettes. Often the essence of what you see can be distilled down to distinct details, details that tell the story of what you feel.

This is the last lesson in “Seeing the Garden”, chapter two of the PhotoBotanic Garden Photography Workshop. Throughout this chapter I have been talking about seeing the garden with a camera, how to compose, how to use focal points, space and shape, points of view, leading lines when you go looking for photos. Continue Reading →

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42 Top Seeds for 2013 ~From Some Favorite Gardeners and Seed Sources

I’m a seed-aholic. No matter how hard I try to control myself, each winter I can’t resist experimenting with new introductions. Oh yes, and I must have another variety of amaranths, nicotianas…or whatever. I convince myself that it’s inexpensive ~ after all, another $2.75 spent on what will surely be dozens of beautiful flowers …and as a steward of my piece of land, it’s important for me to do.

What started as a post on my selection of 15 top seeds for 2013 has grown into a list of the Top 42 Seeds for 2013 from some of my favorite gardeners and seed companies .

MY PICKS

Red Giant Mustard -Dan Benarcik at Chanticleer turned me on to what has become one of my all time favorites.