2/14/09

February Bloom Day, Special Anniversary Edition!

I decided to try something different this month to commemorate the second third year of Bloom Day. (But it is the second anniversary, right?)

Avid garden blog readers will have seen the way Craig does it at Ellis Hollow. Well, I am a huge admirer. Now that I've done it myself, I see that it's both easier and harder than it looks. I can't wait to try this again, later in the year when I have more material to work with.

Some music to set the mood while you scroll down? Don't you always think of the Cocteau Twins when you visit Ellis Hollow for Bloom Day? I know I do.



It took me a little while to get the hang of it. At first, I felt frustrated by my inability to execute the visions that formed unbidden in my mind while I collected in the garden.

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So I had to let go of visions.

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Happy Bloom Day. And Happy Valentine's Day.

25 comments:

My Mother's Garden said...

Wow! That was a delight! Such pretty photos.
Happy Bloom and Valentine's day!
Karrita

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the kind words, Chuck. Just don't let it frustrate you. It's supposed to be fun. I use the preview a lot as I build a combination. Or course then I always mutter under my breath when adding one more bloom messes up everything else and I end up starting over.

It's a moment to learn and a lifetime to master.

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

Such great looking pictures. Yes, you're right Cocteau Twins are perfect to listen to! I haven't thought about them in a long time.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's quite something! Love the passionflower in the center, I used to have a vine and I think I need another one (and a sturdy trellis to grow it on!). Happy (end of) Valentine's Day, and thanks for the virtual bouquet!

joco said...

Ahhh
We gardenbloggers all suffer for our ART :-)

Unbidden visions and plenty of flowers: you seem blessed by both.
What are the small purple sprays?

I did my 'scans' outdoors.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Well done Chuck, love the muted colour combo's of the first 2 pics, very pretty. And you're such a romantic at heart, aren't you? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Ooh, Chuck, that was a wonderful build up to the grand finale! I am a little sad that you had to pick the flowers though, but it looks beautiful and fun too. When we have abundance here maybe I will try it too. But I really enjoy the flowers on their stems. The little daffs are divine.
Frances

Carol Michel said...

Those are great, and I like how they morphed the way they did. Wonderful.

Yes, it is the 2nd anniversary and we are starting the 3rd year. That seems confusing to people. But you've been there since the beginning!

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

Helen @ Gardening With Confidence said...

That is soooo cool. How did you do that? Love the hear!

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

They're wonderful! I do like how you ended the post with the heart composition. So appropos.

Rose said...

So creative and artistic! Thanks for the beautiful visions, and a late happy Valentine's Day to you.

LINDA from Each Little World said...

I think you definitely got the hang of it. Those combinations are just beautiful. I liked the fact that the same flowers could be combined and re-arranged in so many different ways. And the Valentine's heart was a perfect addition. Your flower choices — which I assume are from your garden — are so lovely, esp. those soft yellows.

steelystyle said...

Gorgeous and wonderful! I want to see it in stop motion...

Dreamybee said...

Wow, what a labor of love! Thanks for sharing!

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

Those are amazing.

Anonymous said...

Really creative Chuck. Great and expressive. Happy Bloom Day.~~dee

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I always think these images look other worldly. Perfectly lovely. The valentine at the end is sweet.

healingmagichands said...

How utterly cool! I'm so glad I stopped by and got to see this wonderful valentine grow before me.

Anonymous said...

Well I hadn't heard the Cocteau Twins while looking at Craig's scans, but I will NOW! Perfect soundtrack and beautiful blooms and digitization.

Christopher C. NC said...

Oh la la! That is truly stunning. I have not tried this yet, but was impressed enough with the process to mention it on local photographer's blog when he was ranting over another photographer's Botanica Magnifica work.

Like Frances I felt for your sacrifice of all those flowers for this tribute.

chuck b. said...

Thanks everyone, I'm glad you liked them.

Helen, I used the scanner function on my computer's printer. It was pretty straightforward once I got the hang of it.

The sacrifice of flowers was not so great. The Abutilon (yellow and peach) are super-prolific bloomers. Today, you cannot tell that flowers were picked. So too with the pink Anisodontaea. So too with the cup and saucer vine.

All the daffodils came from two stems--one of which I accidentally broke two days ago, and the other one was blooming behind a plant that got so big you couldn't see what was behind it anymore.

And the passionflower only blooms for a day. Might as well pick it.

Anonymous said...

Good call on the Cocteau Twins...I didn't realize how perfectly they go with the scans until reading this entry.

EAL said...

Wow, that was positively Ellis Hollowian! I am impressed.

Anonymous said...

This was a beautiful series of pictures celebrating your February blooms, a lovely job.

lisa said...

Boy, I've been missing out on a LOT around here! You did a great job with the scanning, and the series is like a cool animation of it all coming together. I hope I can catch up on more of your posts tomorrow at work, cuz' my weekend will be full of manure slingin'. :)