New Photo: Princess Irene Tulips

Princess Irene Tulips © 2012 Patty Hankins

I’ve recently added a new photo – Princess Irene Tulips – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

Tulips are one of my favorite spring flowers. The Princess Irene Tulips are some of the most beautiful ones I’ve photographed. I love all the colors in the flame pattern on the petals. Until I saw the Princess Irene Tulips – I’d never seen any tulips with this many colors in them. Princess Irene Tulips are early blooming triumph tulips, growing to about 14″ tall.

This photograph is available as either at 10 X 10″ or 20 X 20″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Princess Irene Tulips from my website.

Introducing Boxed Sets of Notecards

Do you struggle to find the perfect gift for the person who is impossible to shop for?

Do you need gifts for your favorite flower and nature lovers?

Do you rush around last minute looking for a gift you forgot?

Roses

If this sounds like your holiday season (and it certainly sounds like mine), I may have the ideal solution for you. I’m happy to introduce my new Boxed Sets of Notecards – Roses and Smoky Mountain Wildflowers. Each set contains eight 5X7” notecards – two each of four different flower photographs. The cards are blank on the inside – and have one of my favorite inspirational quotes on the back.

Smoky Mountain Wildflowers

Early Bird Bonus: Get a Free 2012 Wildflower Calendar Free (19.95 value) with purchase of any two sets of notecards

Early Bird Bonus only good until December 5 – order now.

Free shipping to all U.S. addresses (my gift to you).

So please visit my website to see all the beautiful flowers that are included in the boxed sets – and order yours today.

New Photo: Sunflower Center

Sunflower Center © 2011 Patty Hankins

I’ve recently added a new photo – Sunflower Center – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

This is one of those photographs that I’ve been seeing in my imagination for a few years – and finally was able to create with my camera and share with you. I love sunflowers. Every summer Montgomery County plants at least one field of sunflowers at McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Poolesville. I’ve photographed the flowers in the field several times, but I knew there were more photos waiting to be created there. I’m fascinated by the geometric patterns in the center of the sunflower, and how as the flower ages the center changes from the tight pattern to the circles of seeds that the birds love in the fall. I’d been wanting to create a photo with a tightly woven center, the beginnings of the seeds and the bright yellow petals. Finally this summer I found a sunflower in just the right light and in just the perfect stage of growth for the photo I’d been seeing in my mind. And so here it is – Sunflower Center. I hope you enjoy it.

This photograph is available as either a 12 X 18″ or 20 X 30″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order Sunflower Center  from my website.

Finding a Few Moments of Calm in a Hectic World

Hurricanes and earthquakes on the east coast. Wildfires and droughts in Texas. Ongoing political debates and stalemates in Washington. Worries about the economy and concerns about future direction of the country.

I don’t know about you – but I feel pretty overwhelmed every time I turn on the news or read the paper. Everywhere I turn there seems to be more bad news and something else to stress about.

So often – I’m ready to say ENOUGH!!!!! What I’d really like instead of the chaos and stress would be a sense of calm and peace in my life. Some of the best ways I’ve found to reconnect with the serenity I love to experience are to head out and photograph or to meditate. I’ll often meditate to a soundtrack of a running creek in the woods with birds in the trees or to the music of my favorite Celtic Harpist Pamela Bruner

I would love to help bring a few minutes of calm and peace to your day if your days are as stressful as mine can be. I’ve created a series of videos featuring my photographs and Pamela Bruner’s incredible harp music. I released my newest video – Lotuses and Water Lilies – earlier this month.

My other videos - Roses, Wildflowers, Orchids and Western Parks are all available on YouTube.

I would love to hear what you think of my videos – and especially if they do help bring a few minutes of calm into your day

Irises at Brookside Gardens

Every spring one of my favorite flowers to photograph at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland are the irises. This year was no different. In addition to the Snake’s Head Iris that I wrote about in April, I’ve photographed several other lovely irises. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed photographing them.

In March, I photographed some early blooming Katherine Hodgekin Irises (iris histrioides). These adorable irises grow in a big cluster in one of the beds at Brookside every spring.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

And then one day in late May I photographed several beautiful irises.

First is Beautiful Visions – a Tall Bearded Iris. In shades of rose, pink and peach – Beautiful Visions adds a spectacular splash of spring color to the garden

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Next is Dorthea K Williamson Iris – a Louisiana Iris. This is the first Louisiana Iris I’ve photographed.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

The final iris I photographed this year at Brookside Gardens was a lovely yellow siberian iris.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

New Photo: Shooting Stars

Shooting Stars (c) 2011 Patty Hankins

I’ve recently added a new photo –   Shooting Stars – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon meadia) are a beautiful spring wildflower native to much of the United States. It got it’s common name from it’s resemblance to celestial shooting stars. It’s botanical name is derived from the Greek dodeca (twelve) and theos (god) – referring to the primrose family’s traditionally association with and protection by twelve superior gods – a relationship first defined by Pliny. Other common names for Shooting Stars include Pride of Ohio, American Cowslip and Johnny Jump.

This photograph is available as either a 10 X 10 or 20 X 20 ″ gallery-wrapped canvas.  You can order Shooting Stars from my website and I will have it available at shows.

More Lovely Lilies

Last week I posted photos of some of the wonderful pink lilies I’ve photographed recently. I thought today I’d post some of the white and yellow lily photos that I haven’t shared with you yet.

First is a Legend Lily – a pure white lily with a bright yellow stripe down the center

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

A Nellie White Lily  – frequently displayed at Easter. Known for it’s pure white trumpet shaped flowers

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

A Siberia Lily – known for it’s many plumes of snowy white blossoms

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

A Tarragona Lily – a lily with bright yellow center and creamy white edges

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

And finally a Golden Stargazer lily – another lovely yellow & white lily

(c) 2010 Patty Hankins

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing these lily photos. I love finding new varieties of lilies to photograph – so I’m sure I”ll be posting more lilies in the not too distant future.

 

Eastern Bluestar – Amsonia tabernaemontana

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Last spring I discovered a beautiful light blue wildflower growing in Tennessee. With a little research, I learned that it Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana), a member of the Dogbane (Apocynaceae) family. I photographed the Eastern Bluestar at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Chicamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, both in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Eastern Bluestar is a perennial that grows up to 3 feet tall with multi-stemmed clumps of blue flowers. The flowers are tubular at the base, flaring out into a five petaled star. Each flower is less than an inch across.

Also known as Willow Amsonia, Blue Dogbane, and Woodland Bluestar, Eastern Bluestar is native to much of the southern and eastern United States, growing as far west as Texas and as far north as New York. It is listed as threatened in Kentucky and of special concern in Tennessee.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

Eastern Bluestar thrives  in many home gardens as a low-maintenance plant that prefers full sun to partial shade. In the spring, it has lovely blue blossoms, in the fall turn golden yellow. It is hardy from zones 3 through 9.

The genus Amsonia is named after a 17th century physician, Dr Amson of Gloucester, Virgina. The species is named in honor of Jakobus Theodorus Tabernaemontanus, a 16th-century German herbalist.

(c) 2011 Patty Hankins

 

Like many members of the Apocynaceae family, Eastern Bluestar contains chemicals that can skin irritations.  Eastern Bluestar tends to be only mildly irritating, while other members of the family have been used as everything from medicines to poisons.

If you’d like more information about Eastern Bluestar, you may want to visit the following sites

USDA Plant Profile

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Perennial Resource

Missouri Plants

Illinois Wildflowers

 

Roses for a Winter Day

It’s been awfully gray here in the DC area recently. Lots of clouds and wind – with very little snow. So in the yard I can see brown grass, brown tree trunks, and hints of where my perennials will be coming up in the garden in the spring. Not a flower in sight.

So just in case your yard looks like mine – I thought a dose of roses to brighten your day were in order. Here are some more of the rose photos I’ve taken recently.

Eureaka – a 2003 AARS award winning floribunda rose known for large yellow-apricot blossoms.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Mardi Gras – a 2008 AARS selection floribunda rose known for it’s pink, orange and yellow blossoms

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

Flutterby – a shrub rose known for it’s orange, pink and yellow single blossoms

 

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

I hope these rose photos have helped brighten your winter day. Just looking at the photos as I put together the blog post certainly brightened up my day.

 

Madame A Meilland Rose – January 2011 Photo of the Month

Madame A. Meilland Rose (c) 2010 Patty Hankins

I’ve photographed several peace roses over the years – but recently I’ve been wanting to offer a new peace rose photograph since the ones I had were several years old. So you imagine how pleased I was to see this amazing Madame A. Meilland Hybrid Peace Rose in full bloom last September. I love the way the petals are opening up – with the soft pinks around the edges – with all the shades of yellow in the center. The morning dew adds to the magic of the moment for me.

Until January 31, 2011, SAVE 20% off the regular prices for Madame A. Meilland Rose.  The photograph is available through my website in two sizes of gallery-wrapped canvases.

Save $ 20 on the 12X18″ Canvas – regular price $ 99 – January Photo of the Month Price – $ 79.00

Save $ $ 80 on the 20X30″ Canvas – regular price $ 399 – January Photo of the Month Price – $ 319.00

Free shipping to U.S. Addresses for either size photograph.

As with all photographs from BeautifulFlowerPictures.com,  Madame A. Meilland Rose comes with my Unconditional Happiness Guarantee. You have one year to decide that it is the perfect photograph for you. If it’s not, just return it (in original condition) for a full refund.