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Lilytopia 2011

From the LilyTopia signage:

About the Designer: This breathtaking exhibition of lilies was created by Dorien van den Berg, the famed and world-inspired designer from The Netherlands. Dorien was born in The Netherlands and at the age of fourteen was introduced to flower exhibition at the renowned Keukenhof, The Netherlands. She was inspired by these shows and focused her studies on horticulture. She traveled the world and learned different flower arranging styles in Brussels, Vienna, America, Japan and other countries. Years of experiencing different cultures and learning new flower arranging styles have made Dorien what she is and what she creates today. For Longwood Gardens, she carefully selected materials and lily cultivars that create a design that balances color, texture and form to transform the Conservatory into a true LilyTopia.

Lilytopia 2011 showcases over 11,000 cut lilies and 1,500 calla lilies. Learn more about Lilytopia behind-the-scenes in the following links:

http://www.marthastewart.com/270900/lily-glossary?video_id=0

https://longwoodgardens.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/countdown-to-lilytopia-2011/

Photo © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Lilytopia 2011

From the Lilytopia signage:

About the Designer: This breathtaking exhibition of lilies was created by Dorien van den Berg, the famed and world-inspired designer from The Netherlands. Dorien was born in The Netherlands and at the age of fourteen was introduced to flower exhibition at the renowned Keukenhof, The Netherlands. She was inspired by these shows and focused her studies on horticulture. She traveled the world and learned different flower arranging styles in Brussels, Vienna, America, Japan and other countries. Years of experiencing different cultures and learning new flower arranging styles have made Dorien what she is and what she creates today. For Longwood Gardens, she carefully selected materials and lily cultivars that create a design that balances color, texture and form to transform the Conservatory into a true LilyTopia.

Lilytopia 2011 showcases over 11,000 cut lilies and 1,500 calla lilies. Learn more about Lilytopia behind-the-scenes in the following links:

http://www.marthastewart.com/270900/lily-glossary?video_id=0

https://longwoodgardens.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/countdown-to-lilytopia-2011/

Photo © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Oriental Lily ‘Apogee’

New Oriental Lily ‘Apogee’ from Gebr. Vletter & Den Haan

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Lilium ‘Eyeliner’

Lilium ‘Eyeliner’, LA Hybrid (a cross between Longiflorum and Asiatic lilies), photographed at Longwood Gardens’ Lilytopia exhibit

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Oriental-Trumpet Lily ‘Baruta’

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The coolest bathroom hallway EVER

I shot this photo below of the restroom hallway in Longwood’s new East Conservatory Plaza. It is the largest “living wall” in North America, and was designed by famed British landscape architect Kim Wilkie.

This is the first time I’ve seen a living wall planted with ferns and other greenery (28 plant species and 47,000 plants in total!)—rather than succulents. (I blogged here about the gorgeous living wall of succulents on the facade of the Anthropologie store in Huntsville, Alabama). Watch the video below to see how the project came together and see the Longwood Gardens blog here for more information.

Oriental Lily ‘Pink Coral’

When we visited Longwood Gardens yesterday, we were smitten by “Lilytopia,” the main Conservatory exhibit that will run until this Monday, May 30. More than 13,000 stems graced the Conservatory, including varieties that have never been seen in North America. The exhibit was inspired by the world-famous lily show at Keukenhof, a historic park in Holland. The show designer is Dorien van den Berg, a floral designer who designs the annual Keukenhof Lily Show. There were lilies everywhere—from tall towers covered entirely with the blooms to individual vases full of flawless specimens. There were several hundred types of hybrids and cultivars—some not even named yet. I shot several photos of the displays and will share them in a future posting, but in the interim, check out Longwood Gardens’ blog here to see behind-the-scenes of Lilytopia.

Over the past five to six years, I have been growing lilies in my garden and now have more than a dozen different types. I added two new ones from Longwood Gardens to my garden yesterday—Gizmo, an extra large white LO Hybrid, and Bonbini, a cream/white Orientpet with pretty pink accents. I was looking for “Eyeliner,” but they were sold out (take a look at the link for it and you’ll see just why! It’s a beautiful white LA Hybrid with thin dark outlines around the entire petal—making it look like it stepped off the pages of a coloring book, just waited to be filled in! Check it out here.

You can order directly from The Lily Store online here. Lilies have always been one of my top ten flowers because they are extremely showy, infinitely photogenic and so easy to care for. Demure, they are not. That—I can most certainly relate to.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Katydid and bonus bug

I think this is a Katydid, but I’m not sure what the other tiny bug is. I sat down to photograph this yellow flower (identification unknown) and when I focused in on my subject, I spotted this katydid, not even 1/4- inch long. I opened the photo in Photoshop and discovered there was an even tinier bug at the bottom of the lowest petal! It might be this katydid’s offspring, but I can’t tell if the legs are the same. I think I need to get an extension tube to be able to get even closer on these tiny bugs. It wouldn’t have helped me much at Longwood Gardens anyway—they only allow tripod use (a must for extreme macros like this) from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the Conservatory, so the situation required it to be a hand-held shot, unfortunately.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Candelabra Lavender

Candelabra Lavender (Lavandula pinnata), native to Madeira and the Canary Islands, from the mint family

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Wild Iris Dietes grandiflora

Also called Fairy Iris, Dietes grandiflora is a perennial evergreen plant in the Iridaceae family. Native to South Africa, it is drought and frost hardy.

According to www.plantzafrica.com: the name Dietes means “having two relatives” and refers to the relationship between this genus and Moraea and Iris. Grandiflora means “large flower.” This plant is occasionally called the “Fairy Iris” because the fragile white petals not only look like fairy wings, but also have a tendency to disappear mysteriously overnight!

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Sunscape Osteospermum

Sunscape Osteospermum (Osteospermum cv. Namagua), photographed at Longwood Gardens

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Lupines

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Silver Sage (Salvia argentea)

Silver Sage (Salvia argentea), native to S. Europe, is part of the Mint family.

Don’t those three white flowers look like a gathering of white swans?

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Anthurium ‘Salsa Pink’

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Iris

(Unidentified) Iris, photographed in the Conservatory in the Children’s Garden at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA

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Re-post: White Peacock Butterfly (Anartia jatrophae) on Plumbago flower

Originally posted August 8, 2010. Photographed at the Wings of Fancy exhibit at Brookside Gardensin Wheaton, Maryland

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Frequent visitor to my garden

I was potting two ferns near a bench and looked up to see my neighbor’s cat, Foxy, lounging on top of the fence, surrounded by honeysuckle blooms, and warily watching me. I noticed how green her eyes were and how bright the green background was and knew I had a great combo going! I grabbed my camera and got a bunch of shots. She remained on her lofty perch for more than an hour.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Allium Bulgaricum

Allium Bulgaricum (Nectaroscordum siculum), photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA. This ornamental allium is easy to grow, deer-resistant, and hardy to zone 4. They thrive in sunlight and bloom in May and June. Also known as Mediterranean Bells, Sicilian Honey Lily, Ornamental Onion and Sicilian Garlic; native to the Mediterranean.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

White Clematis

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Blooming in my garden: Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’

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Blooming in my garden: Lavender

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Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ Beard Tongue

Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ Beard Tongue—this perennial plant gets its “Beard Tongue” nickname from the tuft of yellow hairs just outside of the throat of the flowers. A North American native, Beard Tongue likes full sun to partial shade and prefers drier, average soil. This easy-to-grow plant attracts birds and butterflies. Hardy to zone 3; grows 2-3 feet tall

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Love-in-a-Mist

Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damscena), photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blooming in my garden: Rose Campion

Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria) is a hardy and drought-tolerant perennial with silver-gray leaves on 2- to 3-foot tall stalks. Vividly intense magenta flowers bloom late spring to mid-summer and frequent deadheading keeps them blooming longer. A common flower in cottage gardens, they seed everywhere and are suitable for xeriscaping. Partial shade to full sun, zones 3-9, colors: pale pink, pink, fuchsia and white/near white (And yes, they are this intensely colored!)

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Blooming in my garden: Italian Bugloss

Herbaceous perennial Anchusa azurea ‘Loddon Royalist’, from the Boraginaceae family; common names: Italian Bugloss and Italian Alkanet. It is called “agoglossos” in Crete, where the locals eat the tender stems boiled, steamed or fried. Blue flowers resembling forget-me-nots bloom from May through June on three foot stalks in zones 3-8. This plant prefers full sun, although it’s in partial shade in my front yard garden and is still blooming profusely!

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Blooming in my garden: Rose Campion ‘Angel’s Blush’

This is one of the most prolific self-seeding plants I have ever grown and one of my favorites because it is happy to grow when and where it wants! I have this pink and white variety as well as the intensely-colored deep pink blooms (which are actually harder to photograph because the color is so intense!). It self-seeds in the front garden sidewalk cracks, sprouts out of the stone wall border around our garden, and even shows up halfway across the garden (where I certainly didn’t plant it!). This disease-resistant perennial is very easy to grow. Deadheading spent flowers ensures blooms through the entire summer! The velvety texture and silvery gray-green leaves and stems remind me of Dusty Miller and Lamb’s Ears. Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria), also called Mullein pink, prefers sunny, well-drained soil (but I’ve had it grow in partial shade, too, when it self-seeded!). It can be propagated by seed or divided by basal cuttings in early spring. One inch flowers bloom profusely atop stems that reach 18-24″.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blooming in my garden: New England Aster

New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), a hardy perennial native to the northeastern U.S.

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Gray Santolina or Lavender Cotton

When opened, these tiny wooly Lavender Cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus) buds will be a cheerful yellow hue. This evergreen perennial shrub, from the family Asteraceae, is native to the western and central Mediterranean region, which makes it a great plant for xeriscape landscaping. Photographed at Green Spring Gardens

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Spiderwort

Spiderwort (Tradescantia), photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA

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Curtsy to the Queen!

Another shot of the ‘Wild Watermelon’ Salvia—I thought this one looked like two ladies in ballgowns in a curtsy position before the Queen. (Well, well, I do believe that is the first time in my life I have ever had the opportunity, notion or need to type the word “curtsy.”)

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Re-post: An apology to the wood anemone…

After posting that shot of a Wood Anemone, I remembered writing about one I was growing in my garden last year. This was originally posted April 5, 2010.

Lovely eight petal wood anemone
please accept my apology
More plants, I surely did not need any
but your price was reduced to a hundred pennies
Relegated to your preferred shady spot
remembering to plant you, I most certainly did not
Lost in the shuffle of spring and summer
as the King of Texas says, “what a bummer!”
you braved well over two feet of snow
yet still come spring, you put on a show
Please accept my apology
lovely eight petal wood anemone

Poem and photo © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Wood Anemone

The perennial Wood Anemone (Anemone quinquefolia) flowers in spring and summer and is from the Ranunculaceae family. Quinquefolia, from the Latin quinque, means “five,” and references the five petals of the flower. It is also called Mayflower, Windflower and Nightcaps. It does well in rich, moist soil in woodland and shade gardens. Photographed in the Woodland Garden at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Red Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

I’ve grown the yellow species in my garden for years, but rarely come across this red cultivar. Photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Nope, that’s not a rubber snake!

A few of my friends (Carmen and Gina, in particular) are so afraid of snakes that I can’t even say the word in front of them. I have been instructed to refer to them as “s’s.” I, on the other hand, have no fear of them—unless, of course, it’s a snake that is: a) bigger than me, b) coming at me, or c) rattling at me.

So Carmen and Gina—Avert your eyes! Avert your eyes! (I suppose I really shouldn’t tell them that a female Black Rat Snake lays about 12-20 eggs in early summer!)

I was walking down a trail near the visitor’s center at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens this afternoon and glanced over at a bank of shrubs and immediately saw this little critter—a Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta). I’ve seen plenty of snakes in my lifetime, but I’ve never seen one sunning itself on a shrub, so I thought at first it was a rubber snake some kid left there. Nope—he was the real deal, and he didn’t seem to mind being my subject for several frames. He was no bigger than one inch around, but can grow up to eight feet long—making it the largest snake in Virginia. In my research, I learned that they are excellent climbers and competent swimmers. I already knew that they were non-venomous.

And regarding snakes—I have a huge pet peeve when people automatically want to kill any snake, regardless of how tiny it is or what type it is. If it’s not attacking you or the family pet—why kill it? If I found one in my home, I would capture it (taking extra care if I couldn’t identify it and didn’t know if it was venomous or not) and release it into the wild. If I couldn’t capture it myself or it was a venomous or particularly aggressive species, I would get outside help—but not from someone who would exterminate it. What can I say? I’m a self-appointed steward to all animals!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Ornithogalum Magnum (crown)

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Ornithogalum Magnum (closeup)

Ornithogalum Magnum is a perennial plant native to southern Europe and southern Africa. Belonging to the family Hyacinthaceae, it is a member of the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ family. Grown from bulbs, they bloom in late spring into June. The stalks can reach 24″ high with dozens of perfectly spaced white flowers that open as they circle from the bottom of the stem up to the crown. Photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA

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Anticipaaaaaaaation…

Orange Poppy bud photographed at Green Spring Gardens

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Siberian Iris

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Columbine + today’s photography lesson

I’m really enjoying experimenting with depth-of-field to create bokeh (pronounced “bo-kuh”) in my flower photography. Yes, you’ll sacrifice the foreground-to-background focus you’d get using smaller apertures, but sometimes a flower demands that effect—use selective focusing and let the other areas go soft.

I decide when I’m going to use larger apertures mostly based on what the background behind my subject looks like. If I’m shooting extremely close up on a flower, I want to capture all the details from front to back and since there wouldn’t be a strong background in those shots, I can use smaller apertures and get really sharp depth-of-field throughout. When the background behind a subject is less than desirable (many colors competing with my subject, sharp lines like grass blades and flower stems, etc.), I’ll try the larger aperture approach until I get that wonderful bokeh photographers strive for. Knocking the background out in some shots can create amazing blobs and streaks of color. Here, the background flowers (Poppies and Rose Campion, as I recall) go completely out of focus, giving this shot what I call the “Skittles” effect!

And now for your daily lecture: If you don’t have a tripod, save up your bucks and get a really good one and use it as often as you can. I’ve always had one and wasn’t religious about using it much until I got serious about my macro photography. Yes, it’s a burden to lug one around, but take a look at the carbon fiber models—they’re much lighter than others. I bought a Benro C-298EX tripod last year at a photography show for under $250 (a steal compared to what I paid for my first carbon fiber tripod when they first came out!) from Hunt’s Photo and Video (great retailer, by the way!). You can find almost all of the Benro models at great prices by doing a search on the Hunt’s Photo website here. I don’t think they’re making this model anymore, but there are other Benro carbon fiber models to chose from and some are less expensive. Read the specs; if your camera is lightweight, you could get by with one of the lesser priced models. With this particular model, I can take the center column and switch it from vertical to horizontal for more flexibility. You can also spread the tripod legs independently and lock them in place in three stop increments.

Once you settle on your choice of tripod, add a good tripod head to it. I have some smaller and cheaper tripod heads, but after trying the Manfrotto 322RC2 joystick head, I was sold. It’s not quite as pricey as some of Manfrotto’s other tripod heads (Amazon has it for $129.95 here). When I’m photographing portraits and on-the-go shots, I don’t always use a tripod, but to get really good macro shots, you really should use a tripod. It will free your hands up to tidy up the area around your subject, move leaves/twigs/wayward grasses, etc., and you’ll have a hand free to hold a diffuser if you don’t have a trusty assistant with you!

Then again, a cheaper tripod is better than no tripod at all, I’d venture to say. So, if you can’t afford to splurge on a lightweight carbon fiber model with a really good quick-release ball head, use what you have and work your way up to it when you want to take your work to the next level. In case you’re wondering—no, I don’t get paid for these product endorsements—I just wanted to share some of the tools I use to get those shots!

Addendum: I could just buy one more Photoshop plug-in product (Alien Skin’s Bokeh 2) and take the easier way out (don’t think I haven’t considered it—I own everything else they make, almost). Now that I’ve watched their demo video, I’m getting the urge to order it. Watch the video—you’ll fall in love with this product just like I did!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

‘Wild Watermelon’ Salvia

I photographed this Salvia microphylla ‘Wild Watermelon’ at Green Spring Gardens. Couldn’t have picked a better name for this flower myself!

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Single-file raindrop parade

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Star of Persia (Allium christophe)

Earlier this month I photographed this plant just as it was beginning to bloom, which is a far cry from the “visually busy” bloom I photographed today. Check out this plant in early bud stage on my previous post here. Aided by my macro lens today, I could see scores of tiny bugs navigating the interior stems—making it a veritable insect superhighway!

Star of Persia (Allium Christophe) plants grow 18-24 inches tall and sport a globe-shaped flower approximately 10 inches in diameter with clusters of amethyst-hued star-shaped blooms. The bulbs are hardy in zone 4 to 9 and after the blooms are spent, the ‘dead heads’ make a great architectural element in the garden. The bulbs are planted in the fall and bloom in late spring to early summer.

Photographed at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Broom

Broom (Cytisus pseudoprocumbens; C. diffusus; native to Europe). Brooms can be either evergreen or semi-evergreen and are deciduous shrubs that tolerate (and even thrive in) poor soils and growing conditions and need little care (how many plants can you say that about?!). They are native to Europe, north Africa and southeast Asia. I photographed these buds against a backdrop of deep purple Siberian Irises at Green Spring Gardens.

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European Bearded Iris (Iris variegata)

Iris variegata (native to central and southeastern Europe); photographed at Green Spring Gardens

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Clematis

Vivid pink Clematis flower photographed against a backdrop of purple Columbine blooms at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia

© Cindy Dyer. All right reserved.

White Spiderwort

I think this is the Tradescantia x andersoniana ‘Innocence’ cultivar.

Photographed at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Milk Thistle

Milk Thistle or Blessed Thistle (Silybum marianum) is flowering plant in the daisy family (Asteraceae), although the blooms bear no resemblance whatsoever to daisies! The name is derived from the leaves, which are mottled with white splashes and contain a milky sap. The leaves of this particular species are variegated, so it is also known as Variegated Thistle. The plant has medicinal properties, health benefit claims, and has been used for food. Learn more about this plant here.

Photographed at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Love-in-a-Mist

Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damascena) is a beautiful Victorian garden annual blooming in soft shades of blue, pink, white, and lavender. Because its fern-like leaves look similar to fennel, it has also been called fennel flower. This annual herbaceous plant is in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), readily self-seeds, and is common in old-fashioned cottage gardens. It grows in full sun to partial shade and blooms from late spring through fall. Nigella is short-lived, so for continuous bloom, repeat sowing every four weeks. You can cut and deadhead this plant to keep it flowering longer.

Photographed at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Foxglove (Digitalis)

As a biennial, Foxglove plants will only flower every other year. Biennials need more than one season to complete their growing and seed-producing cycle.

This plant is as poisonous as it is beautiful. The entire plant is toxic (roots, sap, flowers, seeds and leaves). The leaves of the upper stem are particularly potent—just a nibble is enough to cause death. I read that some people have been poisoned simply from inhaling the spores exuded by the seed pods that form in the fall. As much as I love the stately blooms, I wouldn’t plant it in my garden. It’s highly toxic to people and pets—and just brushing up against it can cause hives. Yes, many plants have some level of toxicity—but this is one that you really need to learn more about. I’m happy to just photograph it in public gardens (and keep my distance)!

Learn more about this plant, including details on its toxicity, here. Photographed at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.