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Ten August Favorites

Ginger Lily ( Hedychium coccineum 'Tara') With the exception of a few hot spells, August has been tolerable. However, beginning tomorrow, we are in for a 5-day heat wave. Disgusting! August is the month for plants that really love the heat. I have to begin with the Ginger Lily 'Tara' which is blooming for the first time. I posted a few weeks ago about how excited I was to see the bloom stalk. They have slowly opened with a few flowers every day. It has been well worth the wait.  Other favorites - Continuing the orange theme is Lantana 'Miss Huff' which is growing in a pot (that is the heather 'Firefly' in the foreground). This lantana can survive in the ground if situated in a protected area and it isn't too wet. Previously, one grew in the back garden along the south foundation and got huge (about 3' x 5'). I finally took it out after a particularly tough winter and it was slow to bounce back.  Allium ' Millenium' is a small charme...
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Views From a New Lens


I just got a wide-angle camera lens a few days ago and I am playing around with it and trying to decide if I like it and if it was worth the pricey investment. I don't think there are many situations in our garden where a wide-angle is useful but I always wish I had one when I'm out photographing big scenic areas.

I also don't think Blogger is the best place to do an assessment as I always feel like images lose some quality here - if anyone uses Blogger and can offer any insight, I would be interested. I've never determined the best sizes to use on this platform for optimal quality.

Enough about that. We just had a few hot days (close to 100 on Thursday) and I hope that is the end of it. It is milder today and the long-range forecast is showing cooler temperatures.


The above shot is the front pathway that I usually photograph from the opposite side. The lens is not fully extended here. 

Deodar Cedar 'Feelin' Blue' 

The photo below has the lens fully open. The lighting isn't that great because of haze from wildfires in Oregon. This was also taken late in the evening.


Zooming in, I like this capture much better -



Wiegela 'Wings of Fire'


Although a wide-angle lens, it takes very nice close shots. I'm very pleased with the sharpness of the lens so far (again, some of the sharpness is lost in the Blogger compression) -

Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' and Rose 'Double Delight'

I'm looking forward to getting out and trying the lens in bigger settings.


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Kris PetersonSeptember 8, 2024 at 8:57 PM

    I think these shots look great, Phillip. The color seems more vivid to me.

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  2. tz_gardenSeptember 9, 2024 at 7:51 AM

    They do look great, wow that photo of your front pathway and beds is beautiful! Have fun with your new camera :)

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  3. danger gardenSeptember 9, 2024 at 9:14 AM

    I am in agreement about Blogger changing the quality of photos, it's so frustrating! That said, your photos are fantastic.

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  4. Hoover BooSeptember 9, 2024 at 5:01 PM

    Yes Blogger compresses the photos. Also interesting if you go back to a really old post the quality gets poorer still--I would guess that a photo without pageviews gets relegated over time to a more and more compressed state??

    Beautiful garden, beautiful photos. The Cedar and the Wiegela are choice. What is the purple/lavender flower in the last photo?

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    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverSeptember 9, 2024 at 7:26 PM

      I didn't know that about the old posts. I will go take a look. That flower is Cleome 'Senorita Rosalita'.

      Delete
  5. Ardith FergusonSeptember 9, 2024 at 5:33 PM

    As always, your garden looks gorgeous. I like those zoomed in photos too! Have fun with the new lens.

    ReplyDelete

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