Friday, June 1, 2012

First view


I found Town Mouse and Country Mouse's blog recently, and the idea to do a "first view" of the garden on the first of the month with the specific intention of doing wide angle shots.  I almost never do wide angle shots for two reasons.  First, I don't think I'm as skilled photographically with them -- the photos just don't really pop or draw me in like the ones in books and magazines.  Second, my garden isn't really up for it.  I have a lot of lovely flowers in my garden, but my garden has grown "organically" (so to speak) as a bit of a hodgepodge while I've been learning what grows here and what doesn't.  It's only recently that I've spend much time thinking about the big picture in my garden beds... and thinking about it doesn't mean I automatically have any skill.  Both of these demerits are things I'd like to improve on, so forcing myself to shoot a couple wide angle shots of the garden once in a while can only help. 
Above is the main bed in the backyard, what we have always called the butterfly garden.  This is the first bed I started and my main goal was to attract butterflies.  We do get a lot of butterflies, but this was also the only place I had to try out new plants so there was quite a random assortment.  Early this spring, I undertook a reformation of the butterfly garden, taking out some thugs that had taken over, moving some things elsewhere, and putting in some new plants.  But I don't have a great head for garden design, so my idea was to first attempt to make it look good in the summertime -- peak butterfly season-- and then when I see how that looks, work backwards into spring by adding some more plants where possible.  The bed already has some fantastic late summer and fall plants, asters and sunflowers.  It's not much right now though.  Verbena-on-a-stick attracts a lot of butterflies, but it doesn't make a garden all by itself.  The one shown below is the second pipevine swallowtail I've seen here.  The blue color on the wings made my mouth drop open.  When I figure out where I can put it, I guess I ought to plant a pipevine!

I have discovered that one great way to get a lot of color is with self-seeding annuals.  The butterfly garden is just about to explode with annual black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), like the one in the foreground of the first shot.  The photo below is the front garden.  I hesitated for a long time before putting a garden in the front, since I didn't want my mistakes on display for all to see.  But this is where the sun is -- and the existing plantings from the previous owners were hideous -- so eventually this garden got put in.  Self sowing annuals bring a lot of color to this bed, and right now it is a riot of larkspurs.
There are some perennials here, the clematis of course on the inside of the fence providing the most intense splash of color.  In the middle of the photo is a mass of catmint.  It's not showing up that well in the photo due to my lack of wide-angle skills.  This is my least favorite lens as well.  Maybe if I get a new wide angle lens I'll be a better photographer?  Well, I can always dream.  I love the sort of cottage-garden look of the self-seeding annuals but I'm glad I came up with the idea of the half-fence to give this garden a little structure.  It encloses a patio and some small garden beds and gives structure to these beds on the outside of the fence, but there is still a wide strip of lawn in between this and the sidewalk as a nod to tradition and to avoid boxing in the whole yard and isolating it from the neighborhood.  The fence is shorter than normal as well, just enough to give a feeling of enclosure without actually blocking our view of people going by.  I think it functions a lot like a wide front porch, which we in our neighborhood are not lucky enough to enjoy.

11 comments:

  1. Oh, I think your wide angles are wonderful! You have some great blooms going, and it's doing what it's supposed to - attracting butterflies! In the second photo, I can see several groups of purple, which is very nice. I, too, put in plants for summer, then in future years add for spring and fall (although I still don't have a lot of fall plants!). It will be fun for you to have this record and be able to look back to see how your garden changes with the seasons, and through the years.

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  2. It's nice to hear from you again. I've been enjoying reading about your trip. Thanks for the compliments. I feel quite validated that you also start with summer and then work in spring and fall in subsequent years. I think you're right that having these photos will be fun for the future. I do have some older ones and looking at them makes me laugh, like baby pictures.

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  3. I think those photos are great! The verbena really stands out in the first picture, and I like that front garden as well. The half fence really makes sense. Thanks for playing with us!

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    1. I'm using blogging in general as a way to remember to go out an enjoy the garden (not just work in it) and take some photos. Your First Views idea is a really nice extension of that idea. Thanks for hosting!

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  4. First of all, how nice to meet you! Second, no one's home photos can ever measure up to magazines. Just like real women can never measure up to airbrushed models. My garden has grown as a series of learning experiences too. Everyone's does. I think you are a very gifted gardener. Photography really isn't the point here. (I hope.) And, that is one beautiful butterfly!

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    1. Nice to meet you too! You have a good point. For one thing, the gardens in magazines are never shown other than at their peak! As for the photos, I think they're nice but lacking a little bit of crispness or something I can't quite put a finger on. My husband has a nicer wide angle lens that I'm going to experiment with next time just to see if it really is just the sharpness. ...I enjoyed seeing your garden in your post as well. I love how it's just bursting with bloom.

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  5. Your gardens look very nice--I like the rock edging. Sounds like you will have some pretty blooms in late sumer or fall. Mickie ;)

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    1. Thanks. I wanted something that would look sort of natural to go with the laid-back style of the garden. Oddly enough, though, in this coastal area there really aren't many rocks.

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  6. Sharon I love the butterfly garden...my susans will bloom soon too and then the garden and meadow will change again....gardening along a fence is lovely and yours is a perfect cottage garden look...I love that you garden for the birds and bees!

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    1. I would love to have enough space to have a meadow. I bet yours is lovely.

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  7. I have issues with wide views too! They always seem to make my garden look messier than it is, and the colors seem to fade into the background. I tried a few different wide shots this month, in which I focused on something in the foreground, while not blurring out the background. I was happier with those shots.

    Your gardens look lovely, and actually remind me of my own in some ways. I'm happy to have found your blog!

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