I’ve spent a few happy hours working in the garden this week. I get some weeding done, and then get side-tracked, running inside for my camera.
Friday, the big distraction was the almost painfully exquisite emerging leaves of a Japanese maple.
Although my Nikon DX40 has a macro setting for close-ups of flowers and leaves, the poor camera’s brain had a tough time knowing what to focus on and any movement by the wind would literally paralyse it.
I’m not sure whether I need a few lessons or a whole extra lens, but meanwhile I kept trying to capture what my own eye saw, the sharper-than-laser-cut filigree precision of the nascent leaves, the pale-shrimp-pink of the buds contrasting the fresh chartreuse of the leaves.
This tender newness juxtaposed with the stolid rocks nearby (a newborn stirring under the watchful eye of an aged, patient, silent but wise grandfather . . .)
I so much wanted to register the bud-bells, and I finally have one in the centre of this photo. Patience is rewarded; if at first you don’t succeed, etc. . . .
ol’ Louis got it just about right — What a wonderful World! — oh, yeah!
Next post: Twisted, Dialing it Down Posts 2 and 3 — in which I try to integrate some of the comments Karen made here
Exquisite! I spent a short while feeding and cleaning up my roses a bit, such a lovely day. I adore Japanese maples, and am determined to find a place for one when we do our yard renovation.
I am about to go outside and weed now, It's a sunny Sunday hooray! Your garden has lots of native plants…do you add many new ones to what was previously in place?
Pseu: I know your new garden will be fabulous — you'll bring your style and good taste to it as well as your hoticultural knowledge — can't wait to see it!
Hostess: It's been overcast here most of the day, but mild enough to enjoy being out in the garden.
Most of the native plants in my garden have been added, altho' we've also tried to work with the surrounding vegetation where possible. Over the years, we've spent bundles at Island Specialty Nursery (now, sadly, closed) or over at Fraser Thimble Farms on Saltspring, among other great nurseries.
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I didn't know that nursery closed…I bought my Romneya Coulterii there after a 3 year wait on the list!
I have a great book on native plants by April Pettinger, worth a read as she is very knowledgable.
I did not get enough done today in the garden but feel that I am making progress…I could use a young strong man to help with the heavy work!!
I am back and have shock horror been gardening, I have really enjoyed being outside again especially as temperatures here have been very very high for April. I have a variegated Japanese maple and red one, which is stunning as it unfurls. I may go take a picture on my macro!
I liked your previous outfit especially the turquoise tights. I have got progressively worse with colour becoming a monochrome gallerina, but the tights do lift that outfit. I am currently flipping between cashmere and cotton at the moment the weather is soo very variable but I feel some lighter clothes maybe coming to the front of the wardrobe soon.
I just came inside, having been outside c.5 hours doing the stable work, grooming Hampel and r a k i n g ! What hard work, the raking I mean. I won´t be able to move tomorrow. I thought, that I´ll just rake a little, but you must know how thoughts like that end up. So pretty those first tiny plants you have, we don´t have anything like that over here. The truth is that I ´m not a garden person, although I like flowers and plants, especially wild flowers.Sigh.
Hostess: My Romneya also descended from that nursery, although mine's the "baby" of a friend's . . .
Alison: I'm glad you're back! We have a variegated maple and a red one as well, but the sharp chartreuse is my favourite, at least as it opens.
Metscan: Oh, I know exactly what that's like! You think, I'll just work for a bit longer and then stop, but next thing you notice a new patch that you want to finish and when it's done . . . I've learned to be careful at gardening or I tend to end up with shoulder problems. . . And with so much natural beauty around you, such an expanse of the outdoors, I can see why you don't feel the need to garden.