I have been so inspired by the lovely photographs on so many blogs I look at and so disappointed in many of my own snaps that I decided to read the instructions for my camera again.
I'm sure you will enjoy a chuckle at my expense. I stupidly have been using portrait instead of Macro for close ups. Hmm! not surprising I didn't get anywhere near what I wanted. Don't blame the equipment blame the user! So this morning I started experimenting and hopefully in time I may even improve, who knows but still a lot more reading of the manual is required.
The first snap is Pulsatilla Alpina she is a little gem. I bought one a few years ago and popped her in one of my sinks. After she had flowered I collected just one of the feathery seed heads and some time later sowed the seed in a tray. I ended up with nearly a hundred seedlings some discarded and many given away but many still in trays and pots around the garden. Cost £1.69 last time I was at RHS Wisley I think, so not a bad investment for such prodigious reproduction..
This lovely geranium was given to me by a friend over ten years ago and it has never made much of a clump but comes up each year. It is quite erect in habit and about knee high. I never had a name for it but it came from a stand at Chelsea where Trisha had been helping out and all the flowers were meant to have been around in the 16th century. The nearest I have found would be Geranium Sylvaticum Album. Well the first and last words would be correct but not sure of the middle one. Any suggestions?
Choisya Aztec Pearl I think. I had the Choisya Ternata for some years before I saw this as a mature shrub and knew I would have it one day. It is slow growing and not a good shape where I have it, she grows forward to the light instead of making a nice rounded shrub but she is a gem and like the larger Choisya easy to take hardwood cuttings in late summer.
Sorry no name for this Camelia I think it came from Woolworths many years ago and took about 3/4 years before it ever flowered.
Anemone again unknown.
This Lily of the Valley should need no introduction but always thinking of the common name I would not recognise it by Convallaria Majalis. It's perfume is heavenly and worth putting in a Tussy Mussy.
Cistus Snow Fire a lovely shrub but gets a bit leggy and prone to damage from severe winters so a good idea to take cuttings and usually they take well like many cistus I have tried.
I wish all my weeds were as easy as this pretty little buttercup is to get rid of.
Primula Veris (Cow Slip) Was given to me by my dear friend Mary. The year Mary died the Cow Slip deposited dozens of seedlings around the base, so I now have a plentiful supply in the garden to remind me of Mary, who I shared many happy times with discussing plants and gardening.
I have always known this as Primula Wanda it was given to me by a neighbour Christina.
Last but not least is Primula Seiboldii 'Snow Flakes'.What little treasures don't you think, all except one of them I wonder which was the odd one out?
Looks like you did a great job with the instructions! All of your blooms are wonderful. Thanks for sharing them, it is raining here and your blooms cheered me up!
ReplyDeleteI'd have thought the buttercup was the odd one out, as it's the only weed?
ReplyDeleteWell done working out your camera, beautiful images, well worth reading the instructions!
I've missed Woolies this spring - have a beautiful azalea I bought there a couple of years ago, clematis and honeysuckle and other plants over the years and I usually dropped in to buy seeds and plastic pots at this time of year...
Joanne, your pictures look great!!! I didn't even know what macro was until I started my garden blog and then found that my old camera had a macro setting.
ReplyDeleteYou have so many pretty flowers blooming. I love the last primula, really pretty.
Heather Thanks for your comment and for following my blog. I just poped over to your blog and see you are very busy organising your land I wile back to see it's progress.
ReplyDeleteCatherine Yes what a twerp I am I had forgotten my previous camera I had used it but it was stollen from baggage at the airport when daughter borrowed it. I did not put my brain in gear when I started with mypresent camera which is Fujifilm so settings are different. Of course I wasn't bothered about close ups until I started blogging. My daughter is and artist and keen photographer my grandfather was a photographer so i really have no excuse to be so ignorant.
Scatterred gardener. How nice of you to comment. I will await others comments before saying which is the odd one.
When I went to visit your blog I was so surprised to see at the top of your list Ali's Allotment garden in Carshalton. I had to follow their blog because my earliest days of gardening pre children I had an plot at their allotment site. Then we moved to Guildford and the children are all grown up.
Lovely photos - the pulsatilla is gorgeous. It's so nice to have a garden with plants from different people, like from your friend Mary. I have a garden with quite a few plants which were propagated by my mother, and it's so nice to go round and remember her through the plants.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne
ReplyDeleteLovely photos. I didn't look at any settings on my camera until I started blogging. I'm thinking about investing in a better camera.
You're right about some of the blogs published, aren't the photos at Faire Garden good!
cheers
Rob
Hi Rob Thanks I am glad that I am not he only one then. With yours and Catherine's comments I don't feel quite so silly.
ReplyDeleteIt was Frances blog a Fairegarden that really inspired me then she mentions her camera and I compared spec with mine then she kindly mentioned zoom and I suddenly realised I had not considered this so started reading the booklet and the penny dropped about Macro and zoom so now need to read more and practice.
Hi Happy Mouffetard Yes I agree and I have collected many plants over the years with associations to people and places which adds to the pleasure. I have given far more away though and rarely get offerred to help myself to cuttings although I have been bold and asked with some friends. It has been known for me to return an offspring when their original has died.( not because I took cuttings I hasten to add)
I am so excited because now I can clck on the photos and they enlarge something I did thanks to Pauline at Wedgewood House and Garden.
ReplyDeleteIn large size there is no mistake which is the odd one out. I took it to practise with zoom and without this is with zoom and definitely better detail!
Gee I am glad it worked out for you Joanne. It is great to see the pictures in their large form - amazing detail that way.
ReplyDeleteLoved all these pictures and I am interested to see if a plant I have is going to be like your white geranium.
The plant was given to me last year when I was in Edmonton. Our friend did not know what it was, she said it has a white flower. To me, it looks like a geranium leaf. It did not bloom last year, I am hoping it will though soon. But it also has not developed too much, that is what makes me wonder that it could be the geranium you show here. We shall see!! I also have Johnson's Blue and a pink one and another blue, so white will be nice. There also was another one that I have only seen in England, especially on my walks the last time I was there. It was a very soft pink, very short compact geranium. I just loved it. Do you know which one I am talking about? I would love to get some seeds of that if it was available in any of the English seed catalogs. I order from Thompson and Morgan sometimes, but I do not think they carry it.
That anenome is gorgeous. I too have primula "Wanda" I could not do without it for colour and longevity in the Spring.
Thanks for sharing your great pics.
Pauline
Hi Pauline I have a small compact geranium about 10 cm high and 20/30 across pale pink. When it flowers I will show you a photo.
ReplyDeleteWell for those who pop back to look it is the Anemone which is the odd one. When made full size you will see that it is an artificial flower. I took it to compare zoom on/off using elbows to rest on the table so remaining in the same spot. I am not really keen on artifical flowers but they do have their uses.
Thanks for your advice Pauline.
Joanne, they really are little treasures.
ReplyDeleteYou are very clever to get all those Pulsatilla seeds to frow and mature.
Isn't it nice to have plants that remind you of the person who gave them.
That white Geranium looks a really sharp clean white. I have just found out that Geraniums really seem to be troublefree in my garden (knock on wood) and will branch out a little with those.
The Primula.s. "Snowflakes" is beautiful too. How long before it flowered? I planted some last October, but as yet no sign of a bud.
Joco The pulsatilla seeds were the easiest seeds ever.
ReplyDeleteI wondered if the geranium was Geranium Sylvaticum Album but I saw it recently in a garden centre and it had the slightest hint of pink which mine definitely has not. Mine is pure white.
The Primula Snowflakes and the Candelabra Primula I bought especially for this bed already flowering so a bit of a cheat really. I am hopeing to try and see if I can get some seed. I did mangage to get the Cowslips to seed well.