New Year Bouquets from the Garden - Camellias, Euphorbia, and Hebes

As bleak as your garden might appear when you're indoors peering out the windows, if you get outside and look closely, surely you'll find plenty to cut for a modest little New Year's bouquet. And there's something about the subtlety and freshness of bits and pieces from your own garden that seems to start the year off right.

I started with these little handmade bouquets as solstice gifts last week and have continued making them for the New Year's table.... 'Sasanqua' camellia, lonicera, a twig or two of coral bark maple. As much as anything, it's fun to putter outside on these dark days, and to try and create bouquets out of whatever there is to scavenge out there. You'll see hypericum in there, euphorbia, and red-trimmed hebe....no armature or foam, just the leaves and branches supporting each other in a casual tumble of winter....

Notice the border on the top photo? I'm playing around with a new photo app....watch my column in Pacific Northwest mag for an interview on iPhoneography with professional garden photographer David Perry...he recommended several apps, and none of them are Instagram....the interview runs in the Seattle Times in February. And in the meantime, I've been encouraged to use my iPhone (as if I wouldn't anyway...it's all I know how to do...) to take photos, and you'll see some new effects, I hope, as I mess around with these apps...

Comments

[Riz Reyes]

It's amazing how good the iPhone camera can be! David is awesome! Can't wait to read the interview!

[Perrenial]

Plants have always been the hardest image to convey. Any subtlety between plants melds together until it looks like a picture of a hedge.
I've got a camera phone with a 3-D set of lenses, it's a total gimmick except for you would not believe how each and every plant is distinct from each other, showing a intricate planting bed instead of looking like a tapestry hedge. Without headaches or glasses. (evo V 3-D, Android)
I's amazing, really, garden walks on it's 3-D movie setting, but trapped in the phone because I'm not geek enough for new 3-D tv.

[ricki]

You found some lovely bits and pieces. The challenge of making bouquets in the "dead of winter" really helps focus attention on less obvious choices...sometimes with startling results.