I’m catching up after a few days at the lake over Memorial Day.
Last Friday I had the opportunity to hang out with some native orchids – part of a year long garden photography project I’m working on.
This particular bloom was meandering away from her own clump to congregate with a lush spray of ferns. I couldn’t blame her.
140/365: yellow lady’s slipper with ferns
‘It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.’
– Laura Ingalls Wilder
139/365: wild geraniums
Luminous & cheerful in the sunlight, the white woodland blooms of the anemone become a graceful cascade of undulating stems and delicate petals at dusk. It’s as if they are giving their final curtsy after the radiant performance of the day.
138/365: anemones at dusk
There is a tendency to want to capture everything at its peak – the exact moment of perfect expression between striving and declining. That is a beautiful moment, to be sure. But to see with fresh eyes, I like to observe the full cycle. Those other moments – outside of the 15 minutes of fame – tell the true story and reveal beauty of their own.
126/365: meadow anemones
Possibly my favorite plant in the whole garden for the way the leaves light up the shadows with an unreal chartreuse glow. The flowers, too, are pure poetry: handing delicately off their arcing stems, they lift their fine pink petticoats in sort of curtsy. It’s enough to break your heart.
163/365: bleeding heart
One of the many delightful things about a shade garden is the impact of every bit of color and light. It really does seem as if the white flowers and variegated leaves are glowing against the rich tapestry of greens.
150/365: white lights
avant garden 365 