garden Pics "This caught my eye today.....#2"

Wow, quite a bit going on here today. I love it.

Sally... it's great to see you posting a few pictures. You have some great favorites as well. Athyrium Filix-Femina 'Frizelliae and Brunnera Jack frost are two of my favorite shade plants. Nice pictures of them too!

RJ....Your shade garden is looking great. Nice pulmonaria.

Karen... I agree completely! Good taste in colors!

Willow... you have a lot going on too! That Patty Bee is sweet. I just love the magnolia too!!

Bea... do you ever take a bad picture? what kind of a camera do you have? I'm positive that it's a DSLR. Is it your first SLR or have you known how to use them for quite a while?

Thanks rc.....I've been having trouble posting pics the last couple of days, don't know what's wrong. Both of those plants are waiting for mom's oak tree to leaf out, so they get some real shade.

I was so tickled to see this one! It sits on top of big bear on my deck.

ohh I agree. One of the prettiest ferns.... Athyrium nipponicum pictum!!!! Or maybe one of it's siblings cultivars.

Hi Red.. yes I take plenty of bad pictures. I am a novice at photography. I am thankful to have a camera with auto focus and a built in macro setting. I have a sony Cyber-shot DSC-H2 with a 12x zoom. To prove I am a novice I do not know what DSLR is!!
I have purchased additional lens for this camera and rarely us them. Really not sure how to use them properly.
I am in a panic to learn how to get the flash to work. My daughter was nominated to the Prom court. Parents are invited to take pictures when they announce the winner.The hall is dark so I will need a flash. These users manuals seem to loose something in the translation or maybe I am just getting old and can not retain the info.
I suppose I should get to the JC and take a class!!

Well, clearly you must be retaining enough of the information because you do a great job with it. It sounds as if your camera is maybe a good transition between the mostly automatic digitals to the DSLR's. Basically a SLR (single lense reflex) is what most of the pro's use who fully understand all the functions of th camera and adjust it all manually to take great pictures. DSLR is a Digital Single lends reflex. here you go, more than you ever wanted to know http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_single-lens_reflex_camera

but it is info and doesn't take all that long to read.

Bea, you could go to the photography forum here, tell them you camera type and see if anyone can tell you how to get the flash to work. Or, there's usually a 1-800 number on the owners manual that you can call and they should be able to tell you what you need to know! That's an important event that no one would want to miss!!

red..thanks for your vote of confidence and the link on wikipedia. I have book marked it for future reference. (will not retain it all in one setting!) Will keep working on the flash problem...It has worked in the past..just do not remember what I did to shut it off as it would go off when I did not want it to. My daughter has a camera I can use as a back up that night. I will be taking pictures of My daughter and her date in the garden before they go to dinner. Hopefully it will not rain that night!

Hopefully all will turn out perfectly!

heuchera

Red...looks like you have a patriotic collection of Anenomes. Great! Your heuchera is beautiful!


Look what jumped in the cart today. I just ran into town to pick up some pond supplies and bam...right into the cart! It was so pretty
and she asked nicely if she could come home with me..how could I not say yes!
Lewisia

She also had two friends that she invited along.

Origami Blue & white

and Tower Light Blue Columbine. How can one resist!

Great pics, guys!

Bea, that Lewisia is gorgeous! I have tried it twice, but it died both times. It really likes a sharply drained soil. Maybe it likes an alkaline soil, too. I don't know about that part.

Bea, sounds like yours is a DSLR. If you can buy additional lenses for it, then it probably is, cause you can't do that with point and shoots. I have an advanced point and shoot with all the bells and whistles. It can take fully automatic shots as well as lets me choose the settings, but I can't get extra lenses for it, and the focusing is completely automatic, meaning I can't adjust it manually. DSLR's will do automatic as well as manual.

When I was taking film photos I used only SLR's. I used a Cannon AE1 Program and a Cannon Rebel X (can you tell I favored Cannon's?). Anyhow, they could be used fully manually or automatic, whatever your preference. They were considered amateur SLR's as opposed to the much more pricey pro models, and the DSLR's come in amateur and pro as well.

I miss not having interchangeable lenses and having the ability to use filters. I used to use a polarizing filter all the time when I was doing film photography. I sure would be nice if I could use that on the camera I have now. It takes out reflections on water and glass, as well as removing reflections from foliage and sky, thus deepening the colors, though it only works well at a 90 degree angle to the sun. You have to rotate the filter till you see the polarizing effect, and you get different degrees of polarization, depending on the effect you wanted.

Oh, btw, my camera has an automatic setting for flash where it will only goes off if the lighting is dim enough to need it. In some cases it's overkill or doesn't go off when it really should have. Then there's a setting known as forced flash, where it will go off for every picture. This is a great feature to use in bright sunlight, like when there are a lot of shadows on your subject that would come out too dark. You can use the flash to lighten up your subject. Also great for lighting up backlit subjects that would otherwise be too dark. Say you want to capture a sunset with a person in the forground. If you expose the pic so the sunset looks great, then the person will be too dark. Use the forced flash and both will look great!

Well, this was probably way overboard on the info, but photography has always been a passion of mine, and I love talking about it.

Karen

While taking pictures this afternoon I saw a hint of blue peeking out under some tulip leaves. Found these Ipheion uniflorum Rolf Fiedler. So pretty! I forgot where I had planted them. They may need to move as they are hidden by all the tulips & daffodils.

Glad I found them however I messed up my knee squating down to take their picture! Something stretched and snapped. ACL maybe. Waiting for my daughter to get home so she can get me a knee brace. I sure hope it is nothing serious, I would cry if I can't get out to garden and take pictures! :(

Karen.. you are a wealth of information about cameras. Thanks for all the info. I sure hope I can keep the Lewisia going. It is so pretty! It does like good drainage which can be a problem on my property. Will take extra care when transplanting it.

A planter box of tulips & daffodils

Bea, here's hoping your knee will be alright. I know what it's like to have knee problems. I love that little blue Ipheion. You got a great shot of it.

Karen

Great pics all, wish I could share more, but with only the LT and the dumb card reader
have desided not to behave. I will try to get back in to the game.

I was going to say that you should put the Lewisia in full sun, well-drained soil and ad the edge of a rock border. Then I found this. What more is there to say?

http://www.wildgingerfarm.com/GrowLewisia.htm

Kathy..Thanks for the web site. I had planned to put it in the rock
garden around my pond so this info will be very helpful in picking the right spot.

Redchick, Beautiful anenomes and hecheura! I wish I could grow that type of anenome, but I have killed dozens (see how determined I was?). Finally went on my list of "things that Julie won't purchase any more".

Beahive, Hope your knee is OK...no fun getting constraints on activities this time of year! You will have to share your daughter's prom court pics! What a proud Mama you have to be right now! Love your lewesia! I have had a couple jump into my cart over the years too and have just loved them. Have managed to keep them for a couple of years each time, which in my estimation made them well worth adopting!

Karen, Thanks for the tips on garden photos! I am learning slowly by trial and error what works and what doesn't. It has been so fun over the last several years to play with garden pics as the digital cameras got better. I love being able to take as many pics as I want and not worry about "wasting film". I have learned a lot about lighting, sun angle, etc by trial and error, but have never though to use the flash to improve a poorly backlit photo. Will have to try that (am determined to get a photo of the hummers at Mom's feeder, but they are always in sillohuete when I am home). My biggest challenge to date is to get a NICE pic of an entire garden. Can do close up's fine, panoramas fine, but when I try to get detail on a particular garden, it all melds into a mess.

Tilly, Hope you get past your puter woes soon! Starting to be too wonderful a time of season not to be able to share your garden!!!

No pics from me today... feeling really under the weather all day...was all I could do to drag my sorry butt out of the house and go to work. Got through the whole miserable winter without really getting sick...now I get the crud. Go figure. Better tonight, so I am crossing my fingers that tomorrow is back to normal.

Great pics everyone, as usual!!

Bea....love your new additions, can see why you couldn't resist. And I hope you knee is o.k.

Good photo information, always happy to have that.

Tills...we miss you, hope the pc is fixed soon.

Rarejem...having the crud this time of year is the worst. DH is headed south to visit his daughter and brother in a couple of weeks and I'm keeping my fingers crossed I don't get it before he leaves. Last year I was sick half the time he was gone, what a waste!! That's when I usually get my heavy spring cleaning done. No DH underfoot!!

Beahive, I hope your knee is better soon. Then, when it is, you can even go visit Wild Ginger Farm and see their Lewisia mound in person -they're located in Beaver Creek,OR. They often have booths at local plant sales-they have interesting, very healthy stuff. I've gotten several nice things from them.

Julie, The De Caen anenomes that do best for me seem to be the ones in the most sun with the least water. Several other ones in either wetter or shadier spots have never done too much, and I'm sure I've lost loads of them-I don't even remember where I planted them all.

Suzy.... thanks for the planting ideas with the anemones. Fortunately where I planted the ones already planted get filtered shade to full sun and have excellent drainage. I have a couple of others left to plant (the patriotic one), so I will make sure to put them in a similar situation.

Bea.... So, so sorry to hear about your knee. That's no fun at all. Hopefully it is better soon. It's amazing how far those plants can jump to make it into a cart!! can you believe that all of those anemones are in the same 4" pot. They most have sown the seeds in those containers. When I bought that particular pot, I could just barely see the red and white one and thought....'huh, I think that I have a patriotic set of anemones all for the price of one, I must be ment to get it. ' I just noticed the other day that where I planted a group of purple ones, a pretty red one is coming up right beside it.

So, now I'm torn about whether or not it's best for the plants to divide them since they're mere millimeters apart, or see if they'll make it together without causing too much stress for one another in a year or two.

Katie, great link! sometime last year I found a picture online of lewisias that were fantastic.... they were growing out of the side of a rock cliff!!

RJ, sure hope that you're feeling better soon. That's no fun at all.

Portland, i forgot to ask you... so does your sister not like any of the restaurants? there's definitely nothing fancy there. But, i think that the mexican restaurant serves pretty decent food. I also really like the 'Trailhead Cafe' since they do a decent job of mixing healthy food and still tasting good.

here is one of the red, white, and 'blue', group that I took today.

Red.. that grouping & pic is lovely!

RJ.. hope your feeling better this morning. Nothing worse than the "crud"! We appear to be in the same zone (7a) so you should be able to grow the Anenome de caens. They do very well in my garden. Knee still not right this morning. I will have to refrain from gardening for a few days and give it a rest. What a drag!

Happy day...Crud be gone! A good night's sleep for a change and I have barely any lingering effects.

Sally, LOL! Isn't it odd how you can love someone dearly, but after you have been together long enough, short seperations are something to be anticipated rather than dreaded? I have been "batching it" since the 8th. DH went down to Phoenix to work on FIL's classic car. Was supposed to be back on the 17th..he is still down there. Can't come home until Dad can drive the car...looks like he might come home next Monday now. I have gotten so much done when I can work until I am tired rather than watching the clock to make sure I am in with enough energy to make dinner, etc!

Susy, Thanks for the tips on the anenome de caens...I have a place that sounds like it might be perfect..maybe I will try again. We'll see if any leap into my cart in the next week or so!

Redchick, Absolutely love the red/white/blue group. What a terrific find! I can understand your dilema regarding seperating them or keeping them together. It would be heartbreaking to lose one when all you were doing was trying to give them more room to breathe!

Beahive, Sorry that your knee isn't better ;^(. At least you have a lovely enough world that you can enjoy just being out in it! Between all of the anenome pics, and encouragement from you and Susy, I think I will make ONE more attempt. I have a lot of really wet area, and that may be the reason that I have lost the onest that I have tried. I do have a sunny, dry rock garden that might work better than the areas I have tried them in the past. Hope your day is sunny so you can at least enjoy your garden, even if you can't work!

This is the time of year I am reminded why I planted the darned periwinkle that I keep weeding out and cutting back.

I ALMOST have tulips today. Love the Impression series as they seem to come back and multiply!

I love the english wallflowers this time of year...they smell SO good!

RJ..... It's great to hear that you're feeling better so quickly. That's great! And definitely be sure to enjoy what's left of your peace!

What's the name of that pretty wall flower? I've not seen one that color before.

Bea..... I sure hope that your knee is better soon. And to have that happen this time of year too :-(

And so far I haven't regretted using Lysimachia nummularia (Moneywort) as a ground cover in some of my wetter areas. I love the color, especially this time of year with the new growth!

Redchic, I am really glad that my crud seemed to be a one day thing. I think that rest was the key. I have been running too hard over the last couple of weeks, and I think that my body finaly decided that it was going to make me slow down.

My wallflower is an unknown seedling that has evolved from a pack of Ed Hume English Wallflower seeds that I started about 8 years ago. They have propigated themselves nicely and all of the colors go well in the area that they are planted, so I have never bothered to collect seeds. They have surprised me with some wonderful colors rather than the plain yellows and oranges!

Your tulips looks like a big bouquet. I can almost smell the wallflowers, love them.
Julie, I am glad you are feeling better. You had better slow down and pace yourself!
Bea, rest that knee and get better!
RC, love the pictures of your flowers.

Thanks Lynn...I don't have a lot going on in my yard right now (not many bulbs due to critters) , so they're the most photogenic thing in it.

RJ..... that's good to know. I had no idea that wallflowers could propogate themselves so easily. I will put a little more thought into how I group them knowing that information.

Well..hobbled around the yard this morning to take some daily pictures. No squating down low today! Knee is fine unless I bend it! Ouch!

Was able to shoot some tall tulips!

This pink one is skinny..and very neon!

and this lovely merlot colored one. Cheers!

Just a bit of info-I put my lewisia in a strawberry jar and it has been there for years. When I put it in the ground it disappears

Beautiful pictures

OOooh! I really like the pink tulip!!

Loving all of the pictures. I have also succeeded in killing off the lewesia and the anemones. I will try to retain some of your good advice and maybe try one more time. Has anyone had success in keeping ranunculus?
Bea, hope the knee will have a quick fix. This is not the time of year for extra aches and pains.
We are so much later here than all of you Oregon folks. My first tulips are just starting to bloom also. This is one of my favorites,,,,Daydream. It starts out yellow (not my favorite flower color) but changes colors daily until it is a vibrant orange. It comes back nicely too.

My scrawny weeping cherry.