Orchids - Nature's Masterpiece

I love working in my garden, and while I can't say that I am great at it, I derive no end of pleasure from seeing a pampered flower bloom. I have grown all kinds of plants just to see if I could do it and have to say that Orchids have always been my failing.

But, going to a show where hundreds are featured allows me to give tribute to the growers who are able to produce these wonderful creations. As usual, click on each photo for a better view.

I took well over a hundred pictures so you can imagine the monumental task I had to whittle that number down for the blog. It was a labor of love though and I hope you find the ones selected as fascinating as I did.

for those of you who like purple, have I got a purple for you! The orchids appear like little purple bells ready to ring. The yellow hood on each bloom only adds to the imagery.

I've included this shot just because of the alien nature of the flower. All we need is Sigourney Weaver and we have a movie set.

I love this shot, just because the blooms seem to rise out of the dark background with little baby flowers over to the left. There were numerous variations of this type but I liked this one the best.

Orchids truly are wonderfully complex plants and growers seem to come up with no end of variations on types. This shot just speaks to me on so many levels based on it's simplicity and the beauty of the bloom.

These two blooms and were of interest to me based on their brilliant colors and the almost "buttery" texture of the petals.


There is a lushness about the two that make you want to stand and admire them forever...




I really like this shot that looks almost as if the blooms have been cut or tapered. It adds an interesting aspect to the visual effect.

Beauty and simplicity, are the aspects that make the orchid nature's masterpiece. This shot highlights that fact perfectly. The blooms are lovely without being wildly so. There is a simplicity to the bloom that makes it perfect.

I saw numerous variations of this type, but liked this one again because of the thick buttery quality of the bloom. Some of the other colors I saw were in that deep purple shade I mentioned earlier. This yellow background with red spots adds a different twist to the type.




several people who had attended the Orchid Society's annual event told me in all the years they had attended, this year's show had the most variety and they loved it. I vote with them that it is hard to imagine so much perfection housed in one place. I enjoyed the magnificent show!

Stay tuned, next stop the Jacksonville Arts Market!

April Flowers

I love this time of the year in Florida because everyone is gearing up to work in their yards , there are all kinds of gardening events, the sun is not yet oppressive, and the weather is perfect.

As some of you know, I love visiting St Augustine and the Annual St Augustine Flower and Garden Expo provided the perfect excuse to wander around. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

I took a wide angle shot to give an idea of the size of the area that is the St. Johns County Agricultural Center. The Center surrounds this little lake and is a great place to just walk around and enjoy all the foliage they cultivate.

I was not alone in my desire to enjoy the sun and the view. Many people arrived with little wagons to buy plants and some just wanted to get ideas for the growing season.

While there were a number of vendors, two in particular caught my eye:

First, there was the Aroma Affair soap lady (soapqueen@bellsouth.net), which had a number of decorative and heavenly smelling glycerin soaps.

and Garden Strokes, with painted windows that had the look of Italy right here in Florida!

I particularly liked this one, and thought of using this approach for French doors I want to lead out to the pergola.

And now on to the flowers... I came looking for good subjects to photograph and was rewarded with a flower design competition. There were numerous categories, but I decided to focus on the most exciting areas: multi-media (flowers and objects) and pure flower design (the entire design made out of plants).

Multi-media: Best in Show

the design on the left took first place, the one on the right second place...

and center piece here had a bit of whimsy with an Asian theme, which took third. All three look more like sculptures don't you think? I'll leave it to someone like Chrissy to come up with the names of the flowers. If you know be sure to let me know!

Plant Designs: Best in Show

These I found really magnificent. Again, you have the concept of living sculptures in that every part of the piece is made out of some form of greenery.













the design on the lower left took first place and I can understand why. It is a testament to creative design and construction. Enlarge each photo so you can see the flowers or plants that were used. I was really amazed at the creative use of both.

And there you have it... I got some wonderful pictures, bought some plants for my yard, and had a wonderful time in St Augustine... What more could anyone ask?