Photographing in Our Gardens

Published on by Catherine4 Comments

I was asked some time ago if I could post a few ideas about photographing flowers. To be clear, I’m not an expert in garden photography, there are far more experienced people out there who take better photographs, but I thought I could perhaps share my thoughts on how I take my photographs.

Comparing ideas and thoughts can lead to new ways of thinking and fresh ways of creating images, so it would be lovely to hear your approach to photographing in your garden.

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Winter into Spring

Published on by Catherine35 Comments

Six on Saturday

The transition of winter to spring is beginning and at last, bulbs in my garden are starting to bloom, adding little pops of colour to borders and containers. They’re a welcome sight.

Crocus. These fragile-looking little crocuses were quivering in the wind, but I have to tell you they were hardier than me, and it took a big bowl of hot soup to warm me up when I made it back indoors! Look how well these freshly emerged crocuses have held up against heavy rain and strong winds. Nature is amazing!

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Purple, Pink and Sunshine Yellow

Published on by Catherine26 Comments

Six on Saturday

Glorious purple. It’s always an exciting moment when you find little clumps of crocuses here and there in the borders. I spotted these on Friday morning just after the rain had gone off. They were new, fresh and had held up well against the awful downpours of the previous few days.

Crocus. A welcome sight in any garden.
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Spring Countdown

Published on by Catherine36 Comments

If you follow the Meteorological calendar, you will only have 20 sleeps until Spring arrives – how exciting is that! But if you prefer the Astronomical calendar, you’ll have longer to wait. Your Spring will start on the 20th of March, mine on the 1st day of March. Come rain, hail or shine – that’s the day my Spring begins. I’m very, very impatient when it comes to leaving winter behind – I’m a meteorological kind of person. 20 sleeps until Spring! Happy days!

Six on Saturday

New Plants. Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Amber Jubilee’. I’m hoping this plant lives up to its glowing description that declares, “in Spring, the leaves will be a rich salmon-orange that mature to green”. There’s a rough idea rattling about in my head about where to place it, but all I hope is that it will add colour where it’s needed in early spring.

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The Timeless Charm of Roses

Published on by Catherine20 Comments

It’s fair to say that I’d feel my garden would be incomplete without the presence of roses. Despite their prickly thorns tearing holes in my jackets while pruning in late winter, or scratching my arms during summer deadheading, their beauty and perfume never fails to bring me a feeling of genuine joy. I tend to be forgiving of their thorns and often hear myself muttering, ‘My fault for being careless’ as I pull a thorn from my finger or head indoors to get a plaster for another deep scratch on my arm. Would I let any other plant treat me like that? I doubt it.

I’ve found myself, on more than one occasion being so completely trapped by thorns when I’m standing, deadheading between two or three rose bushes, that I couldn’t get free. I’m sure anyone looking would have observed it as a really funny sight. Is it worth it? Well, I’d prefer not to be attacked by thorns, but if you love the rose, you have to be prepared to look after it, and that means you have to come to terms with the fact that most of them have thorns. I love them and never tire of looking at them and breathing in their perfume and that’s my reward for the minor indignities and suffering they subject me to.

Since many of us are enduring a particularly horrible winter, I thought it might bring some warmth to share a few rose photographs from time to time, just to brighten our spirits. I hope you enjoy looking at a few today.

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