Varigated Viola - Nannette's Garden

Took a close up of one of my varigated viola with some raindrops on the petals. We have had extremely warm weather for December in NC. The actual size of this bloom maybe 5/8 inch.  Square Mode,  iPhone 6, Camera+, Edited in PSE 11. Did some cloning and use of healing tool to blur out more of the background and applied vignette. The viola flowers are edible and can be used to decorate food plates, used in salads or crystalized to put on cakes and pastries. For more info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_(plant)

Camillia Pink & White @ Karen Talbert House

I was out and about and took a picture of my neighbor's two tone camilla. This fall we have been having much milder temperatures and so there are more blooms.   The center is white and the edges of the petals pink.  A darker pink when it first blooms and gets lighter as it ages.  This particular cultivar has more than one bloom on some stems. These flowers are particularly attracted to ants...so, you really have to look close at the sepals   Camera+ app,  square format,  edit PSE 11--added a vignette to help emphasis the flowers.

Holly Berries - Genus Ilex

This image should have been posted on Tues., Dec. 22nd.  I took this image at Rankin School about a month ago. This is not the native American species.  There are 400 - 600 species in this genus.  The berries are red but the leaf shape is oval.or with less notches than the native holly.  In order to produce berries you need a male and female shrub.  Native iPhone 6,  edit PSE 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly

Ornamental Kale CU @ A & A Nursery, Brown Summit, NC

This image should have been posted on Friday, Dec, 18th,.  In the winter time Ornamental Kale can be found in various border beds, by mailboxes,or in planters.  They come in various colors from greens and whites to dark purple/lavender.   I was at a nursery and took this image a couple weeks ago.  Not like you have a choice of light or the best surroundings.  So, I decided to take a close up. iPhone 6, Camera +,  used accent edges filter in PSE to make the texture stand out..

Varigated Poinsettia - Center CU Nannette's

Went to Mitchell's Nursery & Garden on Sun., Dec. 6 th.  They have over 150 cultivars. of Poinsettias and are always doing research for new varieties.  This is one I bought is called December Ice.  I was trying to get a sharp close up of the center, but I  need to try and see if I can do better with a tripod before it loses it's center buds. I like the detail of the veins in the leaves. It was taken at dusk and had more pink color but I decreased the blue in color variations.  Have shallow DOF issues since not all of subject in same plane.  I like the composition and square format.    iPhone 6, Camera +, IS0 32, 1/30th sec.   Edited in PSE11.

Christmas Cactus Blossom - CU

I really like Christmas Cactus blooms this time of year. I may have waited too late to get close up images.  They come in different colors.  The one I purchased, just has not produced additional blooms.  At A & A nursery yesterday I tried to take one red bloom close up but unfortunately you cannot move plants around--so plants are crowded together or have other pots, tags, etc, in the view. Neither can you pick a blossom up and put it somewhere else on the plant like those you own.  This was the only good blossom in this pot.  Other varieties the petals were droopy or had a translucent look which was less than optimal.  So this is my attempt to capture a close up.. May see if my friend has any that look better.   She actually propagates for our H.S.A. Plant Sale.  

Pink Poinsettia CU - Posterize Edges Filter

This image should have been posted Saturday, Nov. 5th.  Went to A & A Nursery, Brown Summit, NC,  yesterday and tried to take some pictures of a pink varigated poinsettia. This plant is native to Mexico.  Sometimes difficult to get macro mode sharp with Camera Plus.  This is a difficult subject to hand hold because of the shallow depth of field. The center was not sharp.  So, decided to go for abstract look. Camera Plus app - square mode. Edited in PSE - posterize edges with slight sharpening for more texture. Going to Mitchell's Nursery Sun. Nov. 6th.  Open House for a large display of poinsettia cultivars.  Have been there before and lighting not the best.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poinsettia

Bromilaid CU - Walmart

Another image from the garden (indoors) section of Walmart.   Usually you see this flower at a conservatory as it is considered a house plant or tropical plant.  It can come in a varietuy of colors.  You don't have a lot of choice of background when taking an image at a commercial site. In lower right corner you can see evidence of the shelf but not too noticeable.  It was taken in landscape but cropped to more square format.   iPhone 6 - Edited in PSE 11.  

Pink Camellia CU & use of Ocean Ripple Filter in PSE 11

There were several varieties of camillias blooming at the Presbyterian Church Cemetery which can be accessed from the GSO Historical Museum.  This pink double bloom is one like I have but does not bloom until Jan. or Feb.It was a cloudy day. Taken in square mode with native camera  6 iphone. Edited in PSE 11.  Petals have a soft focus. The right image I added a PSE filter called "Ocean Ripple"  which makes the camillia look more like it was painted by Monet. LOL

Autumn Clematis Bloom CU with Seed Pods @ Trish's Lamp Post

Autumn Clematis is very fragrant, but after the white blooms in the fall there are strange looking seed pods.  Reminds you of tangled wires.  Tried to capture both in one image.  This was on my neighbor's lamp post.   iPhone 5C, edited in PSE 11  

Mexican Marigold Mint ( Texas Tarragon) CU Still Life

Image should have been posted on Thurs., Nov. 19th.  My attempts to capture the Mexican Marigold Mint (Texas Tarragon) image has been difficult.  It blows in the breeze because blooms at end of a long stalk.  The flowers are small and in different planes.  Decided I wanted to try to take a picture of them in a vase resting on a piece of white paper which would make it more like a still life.  iPhone 6 Left image edited highlights, mid-tones, sharpened in PSE 11.   Too bad you cannot smell a photograph. It blooms in the fall and has a wonderful anise flavor. I took in shade so white paper has a blue cast to it. and you can kind of see a blue rim of the vase.  The right image, I used eye dropper to select white area, then used paint bucket to fill in white background.  I also decreased the blue cast x2 in color variations and then lightened the image x2.  
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White Asian Lily CU - Stamens

Image should have been posted on Wed. Nov. 18th. Saw this Asian lily when I went to T'ai Chi class. Took a close up of the stamens.  iPhone 6. Edited with PSE 11 - midtones and highlights.  Slight sharpening.

Yellow foliage - Unknown Plant Autumn @ Sarah Duke Garden, Durham, NC

These images should have been posted Sun, Nov. 8th, 2015.  
Went to Sarah Duke Garden to see what images I could find of fall foliage.   I was disappointed in what was available as we have had some colder temps ( no hard frost) --some of the plants had brown leaves and flowers. Camellias were pretty good but even some of the edges of the petals were altered colors.  The terrace garden now has winter pansies, etc. which were recently planted. The toad lilies (a favorite in the fall) were toast!!  I found this yellow foliage in several different locations, but none of it had the plant name labeled.  I liked the bright golden color and that it looked like a firecracker.  Camera+, Edited  PSE 11.  For the image on the right, after I increased highlights and midtones, sharpened, I choose an adjustment filter called "invert".  Used color variations and increased the red which made some fronds more purple cast.   Lastly I used the artistic filter "posterize edges" to make the fronds stand out better like firecrackers. Unfortunately there are issues with focus--not all foliage is in the same plane. I really need to review images consistently after I capture it.  LED screen can be misleading.

Spikey Weed - Meadow @ Kathleen Clay Price Library

This images should have been posted Sat. Nov. 7, 2015.
Do not know what this weed is.  I photographed it back in August at the Kathleen Clay Price Library meadow.  I liked the monochrome colors and so there is a blue tone to the image despite being taken about 4 p.m.  There were no labels of the the plants in the meadow. This plant was in a shaded area. Camera+   Edited in PSE 11.

Coral Mums Closeup - Neighborhoood JK

On my neighborhood walk, I found a pot of mums.  Mums are always a sign of fall.  I loved the size and the coral color of them. The angle gives depth to image. It was in a shaded area on my friend's porch  Took just a segment of them with iPhone 5C. Camera+  Edited in PSE 11: increased highlights, midtones, sharpened.

White Camellia Sassanqua - Country Park

Went to Country Park in Greensboro on Monday afternoon and was very surprised to find a white Camellia sansanqua blooming.so early in October. There are fall blooming camellias and Jan & Feb (japonica) camellias.  Being from Ohio, the only camellias I saw there in gardens were in conservatories.  About 4 years ago I bought 2 of the japonica species: a pink and a red one but they will not bloom until Jan or later.  Some camellias are single petals and others have double petals.  If you look closely this one has faint pink edge.  I will be looking for more culivars to photograph. Taken with iPhone 5C,  HDR mode, Camera+ app.  Edited  with PSE 11.

Fall Asters at the Greensboro Arboretum

This should have been posted Wed., October 14th, 2015.  

Found some purplse fall asters blooming at the Greensboro Arboretum last week.  Did not see the cultivar designated but think it might be Aster amellus.  It was not very tall and the blooms were clustered together. Only a few past bloom time in this image. Since these blossoms were in cluster, could not really isolate one blossom for a macro image. This a good plant for butterflies.  Taken in square mode, HDR, Camera+, iPhone 5C.  Edited minimally in PSE 11 

 

Pink Old Confederate Rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) - near Nannette's Mailbox

I have an Old Confederate Rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) shrub near my mailbox.  I bought it at a "heritage plant" sale for the Herb Soceity about 7  years ago and it has come back every year.  It is not a member of the Rosa family but of the Hibisucus or Mallow family.  Mine is a pink carnation type color but there are white cultivars.  It is believed this plant originated in China.  In the US, it grows mostly in the Southern states, zone 8-10.  It usually blooms less than 24 hours and is not suitable as a cut flower in water. This shrub blooms in late September and will stop blooming at the first frost. It can grow 8 feet tall and about 3 feet in diameter.  It likes a sunny area. Taken with Camera+ app.  It  has the saturated pink and greens because of the rain and shade.  Edited in PSE 11 which included cloning out some of the house next door or using the healing tool as I thought it distracted from the blossom. This was taken after it had rained and if you look closely can see the raindrops.  I had to climb on a steep stool to reach this bloom.  For more info about Hibiscus mutabilis:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/southerngarden/hibiscus.html
I am hoping for more blooms and to be able to do a macro that is sharp of the stamens.  

Lobelia Cardinalis - near Nannette's mailbox

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Lobelia Cardinalis (Cardinal Flower) is a plant I have growing by my mailbox.  It usually blooms in August and September.  I decided to take the left image from the top down as it had clusters at the top which is an unusual formation for this plant.  It is usually a single stem (right image) wit\h blossoms starting to bloom at the bottom and evetually bloom at the top.  It is a great plant for hummingbirds.  I had a difficult time getting a good background because this plant by a mailbox and near the curb/street. The right image I used the Old Confederate Rose leaves as a background  Images shot in Camera+.  Editing done in PSE 11.  In the right orignal image the beetles had "done a number" on the leaves with holes.  I did use the healing brush and clone tool to try eliminate them.

White Ginger Lily - Nannette's Yard

My white ornamental Ginger Lily just started to bloom  (9/24/15). I have been trying for days to get a good image but it has been raining for 3 days and windy.  So, I am going with the best capture I could get. I shot these with native camera   app for the iPhone 6. I did try to adjust exposure because of white blossoms.   The image on the left was edited normally in PSE 11. The image on the right I wanted to try for an altered art effect.  I  cropped to a more square image and used the lighten/darken sliders, sharpened to the max to show more texture in the petals and give a more painterly appearance.  I did not clone out the rain drops.  As a result of the super sharpening the grass in the foreground and background became more pixelated.  Too bad photography does not allow you to pass on the fragrance of these blossoms.