Sunday, September 28, 2014

Open Doors Grimsby - A Look Into Grimsby Beach


Grimsby had its Open Doors Day yesterday and I went down to Grimsby Beach to see the Painted Ladies interiors and back gardens.  It was worth the trip - lots of fun with interpretive actors standing at corners, telling tales of Grimsby Beach.  And of course, the houses, so beloved by their owners. 

Here are a few images of living on the beach in Grimsby.









Saturday, September 27, 2014

Ontario's Autumn - Brock Road Nursery in Guleph

Hi everyone,
We get beautiful Autumn colours in northern Ontario. With Niagara being more temperate, there isn't always a brilliant show.  Yesterday, I noticed that the Virginia Creeper along Highway 8 just below the escarpment is a brilliant red.  The Virginia Creeper along the QEW, which is closer to the lake is a dull red.  This small temperature difference has a significant effect in Autumn colours. 

Guelph's colours had started earlier in the week, and Brock Road Nursery had some pretty maple trees turning brilliant orange.  Along with their rustic building and chrysanthemum show, the scene seemed to be an idyllic Ontario Autumn day.  It was a wonderful nursery - perennial plants are available for the garden.  It had personal touches everywhere, and all the people there were friendly, knowledgeable gardeners.  It was a treat to experience a garden centre with a heart.  I happily took away some viola pansies in soft blue for the Autumn containers.

My own garden centre in Grimsby, Cole's, is this kind of nursery too.  It has lots of perennials available for planting with discounts to motivate us to finally purchase the things we've wanted but seemed too expensive.  







If you live in Guelph or are planning to visit, here's the website:

www.brockroadnursery.com/


Friday, September 26, 2014

Betterphoto Contest WInner - Rose Alight - August 2014

I enjoy the Betterphoto contest each month.  There are over 6600 entries in the contest in 10 categories. My "Rose Alight" was in the details and macro category.




You can see the winning entries here:

http://www.betterphoto.com/contest/winners/1408.asp



Monday, September 22, 2014

The 50th Anniversary Dahlia and Chrysanthemum Flower Show

The welcoming committee out front of the Royal Botanical Gardens was unique.

The dahlias were magnificent - everything was perfect.  Each bloom, the leaves, everything.  There's a lot of work activity to getting a stem to be this perfect - including techniques to get the flower to 'face' a particular way.  Chrysanthemums were a great combination as the size of the blooms could match the dahlias for the Wow Effect.

Ralph Suttell, master grower and competitor from Beamsville posed for me with his winning stem which was the size of his head.  I appreciate being able to photograph at Ralph's growing field and growing house.  He's nearby, so I am very lucky.

The show included an excellent and large floral design show.  The grand prize floral design is shown below.   It was imaginative and interesting.








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Sunday, September 21, 2014

The Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Show Today at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington - Sep 21 2014

Hi everyone,
One of my favourite flowers to photograph is the Dahlia.  I seem to also photograph a lot of Chrysanthemums.  So today is a good day for me - the Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Flower Show at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington Ontario.

Here is one from master grower, Ralph Suttell, in his competition growing garden.



I am pleased to say that most of these beauties are from Ralph's garden.  They are in the "Dahlia a Day" portfolio on Redbubble.  


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Port Meirion - where the Prisoner made his palace

Patrick McGoohan's great series The Prisoner, was created in the late 1960's and was filmed on location at Port Meirion in northern Wales.  This town was created between 1925 and 1975 by the architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis.  It is a creative interpretation of the Italian village.

I was lucky to find the digital images from a visit in 2004. They were packed away in the basement.





Tuesday, September 16, 2014

How a Picture Influences the Garden Design

Now that I photograph gardens a lot, I realize how much of an interplay there is between the photographic image of the garden and the garden design itself.  Great garden designs usually result in great pictures, and pictures can help lead to great garden design.

I took tho picture of the new water feature in my garden at 3 Sunnylea Cres in Grimsby.  The summer garden encircles the fountain in the lower portion of the picture, making a nice frame for the feature.  I noticed though, that the stone edging in the far background ended part way through the image, leaving my eye wondering where to go next.

I've corrected the line in the picture, and next will get out to the garden to correct the design so that the actual experience is as pleasant as the still one.

Here is the before and after.



Sunday, September 14, 2014

Kansas City Gardens - The Serene Garden - Kauffman Memorial Gardens

I so enjoyed seeing the gardens in Kansas City.  I had thought it would be a colder zone than here, but that turned out to be incorrect.  They are in zone 7 - with Crape Myrtles, Seven Sons Tree, lots of Redbuds and Dogwoods.  However, they do have dry, hot and windy summers, so the leaves are smaller and the trees a bit sturdier of the trunk for the height.  My favourite garden is the Kauffman Memorial Garden, a beautiful example of the Serene Garden.  Many people want their garden to be serene, so Kauffman is a model to examine and learn from.  Here are a few scenes.