Digital Camera

My wife and I bought a new digital camera before our trip to Georgia. It is a 7.1 megapixel Canon something-or-other. I'll post the exact specifications later.

In any case, it is awesome having a digital camera. No more purchasing expensive film, paying an arm and a leg to develop it, and then only getting 5 or 6 pictures that are any good!

So far, I've only taken a few pictures. When I had time on Monday, I got some photographs of plants growing in my gardens. I was experimenting with focusing, so please bear with me!

Here's an Alcea alcea (Hollyhock) that I transplanted so I wouldn't have to mow around it in the yard! After the initial shock, it seems to be doing well.

This Dicentra formosa 'Luxuriant' (Western Bleeding Heart) surprised me by showing signs of life in early spring. It was in a pot all winter, and I hadn't watered it once. Still, it poked through the soil in early March and I quickly dumped a bunch of snow on top of it. It looks great now, and I hope it continues to thrive.

I just got this Dicentra spectabilis (Bleeding Heart) from my Mother-in-law. Much to my delight, her gargantuan plant produced this little offset. I dug it up, brought it down to our house, and it seems to be doing great.

This is an image of an Ilex cultivar (Holly) that's growing in my "shade garden." I was experimenting with taking close ups, and was pleased with the result.

This, along with the Irises I got in Georgia, is my favorite plant. It's a lone Paeonia (Peony) that comes from stock originally grown by my great-grandmother. My aunt mailed the bulb to me last year, and I was thrilled to see it come up this Spring. It has had to make quite the adjustment having come from South Carolina, but it seems to have gotten over the hump. I hope that it multiplies so I can share the plants with the rest of my family!

Oh, and regarding those Irises, they were grown by my great-grandfather. Assuming they survive, I'll have plants from both husband and wife! ...I thought it was interesting that he liked to grow Irises and she liked to grow Peonies.

Here's a Quercus prinus (Chestnut Oak) that I grew from an acorn in 2005. Last winter was its first outside (well, in a garage). I had 7 of these year-old seedlings in pots, and four have leafed out. Mice ate the buds off of the other three, and I'm afraid the stress was more than they could bear.

Here are some pictures of a Syringa vulgaris (Lilac). We have a couple of "groves" that both look and smell wonderful right now. In the above pictures, I was trying to focus on different flower clumps. As you can see, I failed miserably... I thought that the lower one was still a nice picture.

Here is a picture of a Tulipa 'Angelique' (Peony Tulip) flower that is in bloom. It started out white, and has turned dark pink.

Here is the form.

Here is an image showing the form of Tulipa bakeri 'Lilac Wonder' (Species Tulip). They flowers were gorgeous; they're in the running for my favorite Tulip.

Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Tulip' (Species Tulip). These were also beautiful, and very different from your traditional tulip. The foliage is more grassy than "bulby," but it's flowers sure are brilliant!