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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Never promised the roses wouldn't bite back

I've been taking more wide, landscape, type shots of my garden but I don't seem to be able to do as good of a job with them as I like. In part it's because my garden is a big old beautiful mess and the individual flowers look better. Part of it is my limitations as a photographer.I do think it's sort of funny how I practically have to climb through the roses to get from one section of my garden to the next, and I can tell you from experience that roses bite back.
It got me thinking about that line, I never promised you a rose garden. The idea of rose gardens as this calm, quiet, serene place is rather contrary to the plants which have rather sharp thorns.
Don't get me wrong. This time of year when I step out my back door, all I have to do is take a deep breath and I'm positively giddy with the lovely scent, and bowled over by the sights.
I even like that sweet smell of the meadow in the morning which is, in my garden's case, compost that's wet and strong; not the dung in cow pastures from which I think that phrase originates.I tried taking some shots of my garden standing on a ladder to get a wide view but I couldn't safely climb high enough and there is so much work I need to do that I wasn't happy with the photographs.I guess for now I'll stick with the small section shots and individual flowers. Hopefully, I'll get my garden in good enough shape to where I can get some better wide shots but I'm not counting on it. I'll probably keep climbing through the wilds and hope I don't get turned in to the garden police for my garden run amuck.

20 comments:

Michele said...

Oh wow!! What I wouldn't do to stand in that garden and take whiff of the roses.... gee, those photos are amazing! Beautiful shots. I am in heaven!

Anonymous said...

I BEG YOUR PARDON...
Those are wonderful photos of your rose garden!
Ah, the scents almost come right through the images. Thank you so much for sharing these.
(I must admit that I love the smell of just plain dirt...well tilled and damp from the morning rain.)
You are happiness in the garden.
Love, K.

Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.
-Oscar Wilde

DeLi said...

so beautiful carver, espeically the yellow ones

Dee said...

Hi Carver,
Beautiful flowers - just what I needed today! I will try to write you a longer email tomorrow about what I mean. Just know that I enjoyed seeing your flowers and that I'm looking forward to seeing you in June!
Dee

Carver said...

Thanks Michele, I feel the same way when I visit your site and get to see the beautiful views you have in the Rockies. It's nice how blogging can let us share our different spots.

Hey K, Thanks a bunch. What a great quote as always. You really do amaze me with how you can come up with just the right quote.

Thanks Deli, I like yellow rose a lot too. They were my mother's favorite and always make me think of her.

Thanks Dee, I'm glad that the timing on the roses was good for you. I'm sending good vibes your way. I'm looking forward to seeing you in June too.

Christy Woolum said...

These are beautiful shots. I sure wish I had roses blooming. I really like the new header on your blog.

Napaboaniya.Elaine Ling said...

Carver those closeup shots are really great.
Garden probably needs some bit of landscaping :)

jmb said...

These look pretty good close-up Carver. Roses already?

Carver said...

Thank Inland Empire Girl, I appreciate that. We are having much earlier blooms this year even for us. I hope you are through with winter. I know it's been a long one for you.

Thanks Napaboaniya, My garden does need some landscaping but I keep changing my mind about what I want. The whole back used to be lawn so over the past 23 years I've been adding, changing, evolving but at the moment it's a bit on the wild side.

Thanks JMB, We do already have roses and it's very odd. They usually don't bloom until much later. Several of my rose bushes aren't going to bloom for at least a month in terms of where they are now which is normal. The ones I photographed here started budding before our last frost but weathered it just fine. At this point we should be in the clear and it's remarkable how early everything is.

maryt/theteach said...

Carver, your garden is beautiful and natural and wild. Your close-up shots are magnificent and your wide shots and description helps me to stop and smell the roses... :D

MaR said...

Your photographs of your roses are wonderful, just like your garden. I simply love natural gardens!!! I can smell that scent now...beautiful!

Carver said...

Thanks Mary (the teach), I appreciate that. I used to joke about how I not only stop to smell the flowers, I eat them too (nastursians in salads).

Thanks Mar, I appreciate that. I like wild gardens too. My problem is I walk this line between whether my garden is naturalized or neglected. Probably a bit of both but it does provide me with much pleasure.

Yolanda said...

Such lovely photos. Thanks for sharing them.

Barbara said...

I love your close up photos of roses, I can almost smell them. Its also nice to see the whole of your garden, it looks like my type of garden.

Sienna said...

What a sight for sore, dusty eyes!!
So beautiful, the color the life! the color!!

I am from a rural part of Australia that is having a bit of a drought and you can tend to forget the impact of color and vegetation upon the senses when continually exposed to browns and yellows.

Your garden is just beautiful and so rich, thankyou for taking on the rose thorns to bring us all these photos, they are just so beautiful.

Pam

Carver said...

Thanks Yolanda, I'm glad you enjoyed them and I like your nature photography too.

Thanks Starnitesky, I always enjoy your flower and other photography.

Thanks Pam (Sienna), I can relate to drought although very different from Australia where you have it as a constant part of life (or that's my understanding).

We had a prolonged drought for us and we kept hearing that if we didn't get rain the city's supply would run out in x amount of days. It was very sobering. We started to pull out of it in March and knock wood, we've gotten significant rain every week since then.

I enjoyed your photographs too. It's interesting to see different parts of the world through blogs.

escape said...

you really have a passion for flowers and i can relate to roses biting back.

This time of year when I step out my back door, all I have to do is take a deep breath and I'm positively giddy with the lovely scent, and bowled over by the sights.>>> what a day it would be if you have the natural scent of flowers in your garden. nice place!

Heart of Rachel said...

Those are beautiful photos Carver. It would be wonderful to be surrounded by all that beauty.

Carver said...

Thanks DonG, I appreciate your comment and visit. I am very fortunate to have so much blooming and to be able to enjoy it.

Thanks Rachel, It's funny because sometimes I take for granted what I do have but photographing and posting the pictures help me appreciate it more.

Katney said...

I think your garden looks lovely just as it is. I have so much dry and bare or weedy. Too much space to deal with, and irrigating is inconvenient. I make big plans, but tire out before they are implemented. And the weather has not cooperated this spring. I have so many plants started that I can't put out till it is warm--warm? what's that?