Some Wonderful Red and White Poinsettias

On my recent to Longwood Gardens I had the chance to photograph some of their spectacular poinsettias. The varieties on display this year were spectacular. I hadn’t seen anything like some of them before.

Here are some photos of the Ice Punch Poinsettia. I really liked the red and white patterns in the petals of these flowers. Ice Punch Poinsettia is a new poinsettia this year - bred originally at the Paul Ecke Ranch in California.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Another variety I photographed was the Monet Twilight Poinsettia. This is another poinsettia developed at Paul Ecke. The varying shades of red to white in the petals make for a beautiful flower.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

I have a few more poinsettia photos to share. I’ll try to post them over the weekend.

New Photo – Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus (c) 2009 Patty Hankins

I’ve just added a new photo – Christmas Cactus – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website. Christmas Cactuses (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) are hybrids of forest cactuses that grow in the Oregan Mountains in Brazil. With proper care, a Christmas Cactus will bloom annually around the holidays.  I photographed this wonderful Christmas Cactus at the Rio Grande Botanical Garden in Albuquerque, New Mexico earlier this month.

This photograph is available on canvas in two sizes  12X15″ and 20X26″.  You can order Christmas Cactus from my website and I will have it available at shows this year.

Excelsior Mix Foxglove – Digitalis purpurea

Last May, I had the opportunity to photograph some wonderful Excelsior Mix Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)  at Longwood Gardens. Not only did the overall display look wonderful set against the pine trees, but they also had several colors of blossoms which were great fun to photograph.

Foxglove is a wonderful flower to look at and photograph. The flowers come in a wide range of colors – and everyone I’ve seen has been spotted! Although medicine can be made from extracts from the leaves, the entire plant is poisonous. It can be fatal if eaten.

This first photo shows the Foxglove in the Flower Garden Walk at Longwood Gardens.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

And then here are some of the wonderful colors of the various stalks of flowers.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

New Photo – Pearly Everlasting

Pearly Everlasting (c) 2009 Patty Hankins

I’ve just added a new photo – Pearly Everlasting – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website. Pearly Everlasting – Anaphalis Margaritacea – is a native plant growing throughout much of the United States. I photographed this Pearly Everlasting at Acadia National Park in Maine this past summer.

This photograph is available on canvas in two sizes  8 X 18″ and 14 X 30″.  You can order Pearly Everlasting from my website and I will have it available at shows this year.

Outdoor Christmas Decorations at Longwood Gardens

Here are the final few photos I took of the wonderful Christmas decorations at Longwood Gardens. There was a lot of snow on the ground which made getting to and photographing some of the decorations a bit of a challenge.

In front of the Dupont House, there are several trees decorated to please the local birds. While I was photographing the Wildlife Trees, I saw numerous birds stopping by for a quick snack.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Here’s one of the Junco’s enjoying a treat.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

One of the highlights of the Christmas decorations at Longwood is the reindeer in the Topiary Garden. This year, the reindeer are decorating the Christmas trees.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Christmas at Longwood Gardens runs through January 10 so I’m hoping to make one more visit to the wonderful displays before it comes down.

A Few More Longwood Gardens Christmas Trees

Every year, Longwood Gardens has a number of spectacular Christmas trees on display. They are themed to match the various sections of the gardens. Here are a few more of the trees featured in the 2009 Longwood Christmas

The Silver Garden Tree

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

One of the Cascade Garden Trees – created from bromeliads and other tropical plants.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Even the Kitchen Garden has a tree this year – made from decorative kale

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

And finally the tree at the Dupont House – which sets the theme for all the wonderful decorations at Dupont House.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

I’ll post photos of a few of the outdoor decorations tomorrow.

Christmas Trees in the Conservatory at Longwood Gardens

Earlier this week, I had a chance to visit Longwood Gardens and take some photos of their Christmas displays. There are several spectacular trees set up throughout the Conservatories. Here are a few photos of some of them

As you enter the Conservatory, the first tree you see is the one outside the Music Room. This year, the low pool in front of the music room is filled with poinsettias. The tree is decorated with lots of bright red begonias.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

The other absolutely spectacular tree this year is in the East Conservatory. It is decorated with blue butterflies and all sorts of wonderful silver ornaments.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

I’ll post photos of a few more of the Longwood Gardens Christmas trees tomorrow.

Christmas at Dupont House at Longwood Gardens

Yesterday I spent an abosulutely fantastic day photographing the Christmas decorations at Longwood Gardens. Their display is even more incredible this year than last year. My favorite decorations this year were at the Dupont House – home of Pierre Dupont.

Here are some of my favorite Christmas scenes from Dupont House.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

I’ll be posting more of my photos from the 2009 Longwood Gardens Christmas over the weekend.

Photography Links – December 24, 2009

Strike it Rich Rose (c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Just a couple of links this week

Marc Silber has Why Set Your Photography Goals?

Alexandre Buisse has an HDR Plea on the Luminous-Landscape website

Photofocus has 10 Photo Predictions for 2010 and 7 Tips for Fighting Photographer’s Block

Berries in the Snow

Over the weekend the Washington DC area got hit by a major snowstorm. Here in Bethesda, estimates are we got 24″ of snow. While it still snowing, I took a couple of walks around my neighborhood with my camera. It’s amazing how different common everyday sights look when covered with a fresh snow.

I photographed berries, leaves, trees, and even a few flowers. Here are a few of the snow covered berry photos I took over the weekend. I was surprised at how many different types of berries I spotted in the neighborhood.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins