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A Closer Look at Winter Damage

But first, take a look at this gorgeous rainbow that we had on Friday! The five-day stretch of warm temperatures last week really jump-started the garden. Now that plants are putting out new growth, it is easier to see what kind of damage the winter left. Back in mid-January, we experienced five straight days of below-freezing temperatures. This caused much damage in Portland and areas where frigid winds were a factor. Here, we were fortunate to not get the wind and the cold temperatures were dampened by a blanket of snow. That said, it was a tough time for the garden and there are noticeable casualties but no outright deaths that I have seen. The bottlebrush ( Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red') did not like the cold at all. It was planted six years ago, in the north-facing garden no less, and I've not experienced die-back on it until now. A local expert said to cut it all the way back so that is what I did. If it doesn't make it, I won't be too distraught. It is

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden video

I've been experimenting with making videos and finally finished this one after almost pulling my hair out trying to learn how to do it. Unlike the straight videos I posted earlier of our garden, this one is composed of still photos that I took at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens in 2016. I started off with one software program and was unhappy with it and eventually switched to another one (Shotcut) which worked much better. I'm still learning and it is a fun process when everything cooperates. I also learned a lot about what it takes to put a commercial together and found the whole process fascinating.

Let me know what you think and how I can improve. I would be particularly interested in knowing about the video quality on your particular device.

A sunny day today - time to get outside and do some real gardening work!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. You compiled some amazing photos of that Rhododendron garden. The video and music are peaceful and relaxing. I would say it's more of a slide show really, and as such, I liked it a lot.
    I watched it on my 25" Mac monitor, and then reduced it to half screen to get a better resolution.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you - you are right, it is more of a slide show. :)

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  2. I enjoyed the slideshow a lot. The Goose portrait seemed not to belong with all those beautiful shots of the garden. Music is always how the person hears it. It seemed a little slow for the presentation. But that could sure just be me. Nice music though. I watched on my 17" Lenovo laptop. Looked good.

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    1. Thanks Lisa, I changed the main photo. That did cross my mind earlier.

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  3. You showed your beautiful photos well, Phillip. I saw only one shot early in the series that looked fuzzy to me. I enjoyed the musical background too - it fit the scenery. I watched it on my desktop computer, full screen.

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  4. Just lovely. Thank you for all the hard work. My only complaint (?) is that it changed images so fast. Each picture was so beautiful and I wanted to digest them all.
    Perfect music choice. It was clear and tranquil, like the water of the pond in your pictures. I’m not familiar with the composer, but I think they love Bach.

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  5. Just lovely. Thank you for all the hard work. My only complaint is that the images changed too quickly; I wanted to digest each one.
    The music was perfect. It is pure and tranquil like the pond in your pictures. I’m not familiar with the composer, but I think they love Bach.

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  6. Hi Phillip - oh, you made me miss Portland for a few minutes. It's been a long time since I was last at the garden and it has really matured into a spectacular place. I watched on my 21.5" late 2015 iMac and the quality was good. I went to YouTube and went full screen. Though I liked the music I felt, like Lisa, that it was just a little too slow. I did like the goose portrait - it's part of what the garden is all about.

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