Gardening Gone Wild is hosting their Picture This Photo Contest and this month's theme is awakening. Hot off my honorable mention winning photo from last month (which still thrills me beyond belief), I just had to enter again! I went back and forth right up until the deadline trying to choose the right photo to enter. This shot of lupine starting to emerge was the best I could get of my just waking garden, so it's my official entry. I like how it's dwarfed by the blooming crocuses in the background which gives a sense of scale, is vibrantly colored, and sort of reminds me of palm trees:
This backlit shot of the row of blooming crocuses (I'm sorry, I just can't use croci) with one in focus (VPH called it unreal looking) was a close also ran:
Well I like them both, but let's hope this month's judge (Saxon Holt) likes my entry more too!
They're both gorgeous! I can see how hard it must have been to choose just one. Did you use a macro lens?
Posted by: Jean | March 22, 2010 at 09:06 AM
Jean -- Thanks, it really was difficult to choose. I used the macro setting on my little Canon Powershot for the lupine photo, but the crocus shot was just the close up manual setting. But I got the camera really close for both shots.
Posted by: Heather's Garden | March 22, 2010 at 09:33 AM
Heather, I love the lupine! I noticed mine were awakening, too, and was surprised. Not sure why I was, but it's so early. Good luck in the contest! It's a beautiful photo!
Posted by: Kylee from Our Little Acre | March 22, 2010 at 11:52 AM
Kylee -- Thanks! I was completely surprised by my lupine too, it's weeks early to see it. We're all walking around on eggshells here in CT. We're sure that there's going to be another huge winter storm after touching the 70s over the weekend.
Posted by: Heather's Garden | March 22, 2010 at 01:03 PM
Beautiful! I can't believe your crocus are open in CT, and down here in PA I don't have a single bloom yet.... it must be the back yard here, because our neighbors daffodils are all in bloom too, and mine are not even close. It doesn't seem like the light is that much different in our back yard, but it must be!
Posted by: Fields Of Heather | March 24, 2010 at 04:06 PM
Fields of Heather -- Thanks! I actually have 2 daffodils blooming today -- much earlier than they did last year. And we drove around doing errands today and the crocuses and daffodils are out everywhere, so it's not just my sunny foundation garden blooming. I'm still waiting for one last big winter storm to hit.
Posted by: Heather's Garden | March 24, 2010 at 06:12 PM
Of all 71 entries in the GGW photo contest, I like your lupine the very best (and there are some fabulous entries). We'll see if Mr. Holt agrees with me. P.S. I think you made the right choice between the two photos.
Posted by: Caroline | March 25, 2010 at 09:31 PM
Caroline -- As I wrote on your blog, your photo was one of my favorites. Thank you for your very kind words. I wish the winner would be posted already -- it seems like it's taking a long time this month!
Posted by: Heather's Garden | March 26, 2010 at 07:44 PM
Wow, I SO love your photo. I wish I could grow lupines. And crocuses for that matter. Sigh.
Posted by: forest | March 29, 2010 at 10:59 PM
Forest -- Thanks! It does seem like we get the better end of the arrangement here in the Northeast. We might have to bring in tender perennials to overwinter, but we can grow crocus, daffodils, and lilacs, just to name a few.
Posted by: Heather's Garden | March 30, 2010 at 05:18 PM