ostrich ferns are coming..it was windy..I had a hard time shooting between gusts..daffodils..my way too high BME has pips..brunnera is starting to bloom..this tiny bit of red caught my eye..cute but it's probably a weed haha..seems like a white version of the yellow one below..both the yellow and white have spotted leaves..Celandine poppy..I found 3 Summer Snowflake viburnum seedlings..Bloodgood Japanese maple..windy when I took this..oh well..

Fire Island..such a great color..June has pips..Undulata Albomarginata..pretty red astilbe leaves..popmama..a trillium patch..maybe 6? or 7? feet long..they're everywhere..my conditions must suit them..time to get to work..

LOVE the pips!!!! We’re getting closer and closer!!!!

Fire Island is such a nice hosta. The yellow eyes are hard to overlook. I love your Trillium patches:-)

I really enjoyed myself this week..some days were just perfect!..I had to come in early today to get ready to meet relatives at Olive Garden for dinner..after we came home I went out until it was dark..

oursteelers..your climate is so mild..are your hostas completely up?

Karin..my hostas are almost catching up to yours..

Well, Nicholsworth, you’ve got a good start to better photos this year! Nothing for me to work with yet. My A.Montana has pips, nothing photo worthy yet. Pulled my potted hosta out on Wednesday and gave them a big drink, about half of the 13 pots have started some growth. I keep 11 of them on a garden wagon in my shed. Had to roll them all back in at the end of the day, got too cold here. Looks like I will be able to pull them out again on Monday.

Sherry

Nicholsworth, no! I wish they were but I’m still at the pip stage :( In fact, not everyone is even awake yet. Just this morning was the first sighting of Tenryu, Captain Kirk and Whirlwind.

Most advances are High Society, Ivory Coast and Island Breeze. Elephant Burgers, Praying Hands and Krossa Regal haven’t even popped out yet.

But I gotta give all you cold weather people props...that is a LOT of dragging in and out you do!

Sherry..thanks for the compliment :-) ..I'm trying not to procrastinate..just go out and take pics!..I've used my wagon to move plants too!..it works great..

oursteelers..I learned something from you today..a higher zone doesn't necessarily mean that your hostas will be up a lot sooner..

Nicholsworth, great pictures! I love the variety in your garden. The spray of Trillium is beautiful. Nice to see some pips coming up. I am still waiting all I see from my hostas are a few nubs. The crocus are blooming and daffodils are poking their heads out. Nice to see spring is starting.

Beth..thank you!..it was nice to get up today and see your comment when I pulled up Gardenweb..I was looking at nubs too..but after a week of sunshine the difference is amazing..you'll be there soon..

it's raining this morning..here's my gardening surprise for the day..a bloom on my hibiscus in the kitchen..too crowded and awkward to get a perfect shot..can't wait to get this big thing outside..

I’m livin’ in the wrong kitchen. I’d show you my morning surprise but a headless shrew might be a bit much...

oursteelers..Lol!!!..I DO prefer my surprise to yours..we did see our fox kill a squirrel today..I guess we haven't offered her enough nuts..

nw, I don’t think it matters how much food you provide, at least when it‘s a cat involved. Maybe foxes are nicer but our cats have plenty but I honestly believe they love the hunt.

oursteelers..of course you're right..it's instinct..I was making a lame joke :-)

Trillium patch indeed! Last year StevePA sent me a few trilliums after I commented no how cool his were. I planted them all and so far I only see one. However, I maintain that one is better than none! You area seems perfectly suited for them while mine is not. But I will not give up easily!

popmama..am I remembering this correctly - you also have a hibiscus with orange blooms?..

Wow. You took so many pictures. There is a lot happening in your garden! Spring is an exciting time. The variety you have in your garden is amazing. Thanks for sharing the photos with us!

newhostalady..thanks..this week of warm weather completely changed this garden..EVERY plant changed from nothing to growing..I'm trying to take close ups..nature is so beautiful..

Hey nicholsworth, yes I do have a hibiscus with orange blooms. How did you remember that? :-) It's one of those braided ones I rescued from near-death at Walmart. It's patiently waiting to go outside where it will hopefully bloom again.

I got a new camera last Fall so I am hoping that I will be able to take better pictures this year as well. I have already taken some really great bird pics over the winter. Hoping that will translate to good garden pics too. I keep saying I want to take a class. I really should just sign up for it.

popmama..hey I remembered!..my hibiscus has a single straight trunk..a Lowe's bargain for $2.50!!..my leaves want to droop..going outside will improve it tremendously..be sure and share the pics that you're taking with your new camera..

Yes, great job on your pics. It is hard work, especially getting close ups. Crouching, kneeling and twisting to get the perfect angle and at the perfect timing for light. Phones take really good pics these days. Your Hibiscus is such a lovely colour.

I use the lowest end Canon camera because it is small enough to keep in one of the pockets of my Lee Valley gardening pouch. I like to have it with me at all times for butterflies, bees, birds.....anything that won't wait for me to be ready.

peren..the wind would move the plants..the sun was so bright I couldn't see the screen..in one shot there was a reflection in the window of the neighbor's truck..and on and on..but I love having the pics..

You said, " I'm attempting to imitate the great photos that I've seen on the hosta forum..it's not as easy as ordinary pics..I need younger knees Lol.. "

I used to really enjoy taking hosta photos. Then, we decided to take food photos for the internet for my small business' website. So, the combination of attempting to take great food photos and my hosta hobby taught me some lessons.

You don't necessarily need to get closer. Work arounds that will save your knees is to use the close-up feature on your camera. Another is to take a "larger" photo and crop it, using a photo editor. By larger, I mean more pixels. I don't use a camera phone unless it's just to document something. (My phone is not very expensive and does not take great photos.)

The quality of light is one of the most important things. If the light is too intense (middle of the day in full sun), it will wash out your colors. If it's too shady, your camera will struggle to focus, or won't work at all. Colors will also appear darker than they are. So, overcast or end of the day is a good time to take outdoor photos. (ken's advice from many years ago

Using a photo editor is easy. You probably have one on your computer. I'm a real novice. I've never taken any classes. I'm a genealogy nut, so have copied lots of old photos. I use a really old Microsoft program that still happens to work. If you have "Office" on your computer, you probably have "Office Picture Manager", and have "Paint" in your Windows accessories folder. Both or either will work. There are built in editors on Apple, too, I'm sure. There are also free programs on the internet.

Below are some of your photos that I cropped. They are a little fuzzy, as I used a snipping tool. You will get the point. Just focus in on what you want to show.

bkay

bkay..thanks for the suggestions!..it's true that you can get nice pics on an overcast day!..these pics were taken yesterday in gloomy light..I think the hostas look nice..these were taken with my phone..I have a Canon camera but it's not an expensive one..my technology expertise isn't great..it's so easy to sit in the recliner and use the phone that I haven't used the camera in awhile!..some photos that I've admired were taken with better equipment (they told me)..and these people have more knowledge..I do crop photos and sometimes change the colors..I'll try cropping more..in some cases I was trying to show the expanse of the plants..I was KIND of kidding about bending over..when I do I'm in more of a hurry so I can straighten up and be comfortable again!..some spring flowers are so tiny!..I think patience is important..take your time and analyze which angle is best..move debris..pull the worst weeds etc..I've enjoyed spring this year trying to take better pics..I appreciate your help..

Most of my best hosta photos were taken with a point and shoot camera. You could either do close up or not. Those were the only options.

Since I only grow in pots, it's also easy to move the smaller ones to whatever background I want or turn them so the best side shows.

bkay

getting a little more height from a pot would be helpful!..and as you said a pot can be moved which is helpful..I do think someone with a good eye, able to hold the camera still and beautiful subject matter can take nice pics with a basic camera..

I've seen and admired the photo of Praying Hands..I planted 2 pots of Praying Hands after seeing this photo..the second photo is very artistic..a great photo of Liberty..would this be from Papou (something like that?)..was before my time too..

Do any of the older photos belong to Phil, Hostafreak? Or Brucebanyahista?

Sherry

Yes, it's Papou. I found the name later.

No, the only hosta_freak photo I have is when we were comparing hosta Pizzazz specimens. He had a great Sharp Dressed Man, so I looked for a photo of that on the Houzz, but had no luck. Many of the great old photos were lost when Photobucket started requiring a paid account to display the existing photos. When I first started posting, Gardenweb did not host photos, so everyone had to find a place to host them. As storage got cheaper, sites started hosting their own photos, and the need for Photobucket decreased. So, they changed the terms of service. By then, a lot of the posters had moved on, either from death or new interests. So, those photos are lost.

This was Phil's pizzazz:

Bruce didn't post a whole lot if I remember correctly. He posted the bed of his fragrant hosta every year. It was in front of his porch. I can't remember if it was plantaginea, Venus or Aphrodite. I think it was Aphrodite, though. It was a real challenge to get it to bloom. I figured if an expert like Bruce couldn't do it, I certainly couldn't. So, I didn't purchase another one when mine croaked.

ken has always posted good tutorials with photos, but rarely posted hosta photos. UK hostaman posted great photos. I can't remember her name, but a lady in Canada posted lots of great photos. She think she was newhostalady's neighbor (bear in mind that I may not have remembered names correctly).

bkay

I remember some of the names that were mentioned..it IS disappointing to read old posts and see empty boxes with "photos no longer available" or however they say it..thankfully we have current posters with great pics too..

Yes indeed. I've switched over to a Pixel phone which takes very nice photos, but it is cumbersome to post them on here. Seems like I still need to transfer them to my computer before posting which has proven awkward. So less photos from me.

I found out last year that my wife takes better pictures than me. I was on a business trip while my hosta were unfurling, so she took pictures so I wouldn't miss out completely. Perhaps I should just get her to take pictures again, then it might be more worth the trouble of posting them here.

Ohhh... UK hostaman had the most amazing garden and the pictures were absolutely beautiful... I have a lot of those saved.

here's an example: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2021494/my-garden-in-julypic-heavy#n=41

steve.."my wife takes better pictures than me"..you made me laugh!..did she enjoy it and might like to take more?..sounds like a fun experiment to send my husband out to take pictures..but I'm afraid he would step on everything..he's tall with big feet..

windymess..what beautiful pics..that's a very well tended garden..