Winter

Winter

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Pacific Ocean Driftwood

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Another example of the driftwood, large tree roots, and branches that wash onto our Pacific coast beaches.

Photo taken last March 2016, after a winter storm.




© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Japanese Anemone 'Bressingham Glow'

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And glow they do when caught with the evening sun shimmering through their petals.
This fall-flowering, double pink is a favorite of mine. It makes the largest seed heads that can last through the winter and offer a soft lining for hummingbird nests in the spring.

Click here for a nice primer on these plants and others in the family.



© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

The Autumnal Equinox is Upon Us

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September 22, 2016 at 10:21 AM EDT (7:21 AM PDT) is the exact moment of this year's Autumn Equinox.

Here on Raven Ridge, the leaves have been turning hues of orange, yellow and red for a number of weeks. I don't know if that portends a cold, rainy winter or a cold, dry winter. But, if the balmy evening we had last night, where we were able to stay out on the deck in shirt sleeves until well past 8:30 (almost unheard of on this foggy coast of northern California), is any indication, we probably won't see rain anytime soon.

Depicted here is a Viburnum trilobum, or American Cranberry Bush. It happily grows outside my office window.

Check out this link on The Farmers Almanac web site for fall equinox information. And don't be thrown off by the year in the link, it is really for 2016.

Happy Autumn Equinox!



© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Begonia Flowers in Evening Sun

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I'm having a love affair with the tuberous begonias that I've planted in hanging baskets on the back deck. They receive about 4 hours of full sun this time of year and when that sun hits them about an hour before setting, the results are magical.  This plant is a Picotee hybrid named Calypso. Some of the blooms are 4-inches across.



© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Phalaenopsis Orchid

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I love the orchid family, Phalaenopsis.  They are easy to grow, can withstand a lot of neglect,
and, with a little care, will bloom many times over.




© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Monday, September 12, 2016

All Washed Up

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A beach walk last March revealed many large pieces of trees and roots, and smaller pieces of drift wood that had washed ashore during the winter storms.  I found this one to be quite dramatic with the frothy Pacific Ocean behind it, and I couldn't pass up capturing the contrasts between all the elements.

I must remember to post a few more of these.



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Thursday, September 08, 2016

Miltonia Orchid

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Another exercise in lighting contrast, I placed this Miltoniopsis orchid in a translucent gauze-covered west window during a bright afternoon, adjusting the exposure so I was able to photograph the orchid while the background became almost white. You would never know that there are shrubs just outside the window.




The image just above is not a crop of the larger one on top even though it looks like it could be. I was  intrigued by the deeper colors created by petal overlap as the bright light shone through them and wanted a closer look.

I'm not sure where these exercises are leading me, if they are leading me at all, but I am enjoying the ride.


© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.

Sunday, September 04, 2016

Black Iris

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These two photos were taken as an exercise in lighting.  I stepped behind the flower, which was growing very near to a large clematis, and shot into bright sunlight.


I kind of like the washed out, over-exposed look of the background ferns and plants in contrast to the deep purple-black of the foreground iris petals, along with the bright light coming through and illuminating the veins of those petals further away from the camera.



© Copyright 2006-2016, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved.