Container Contest
1st Place - Terri Clark-Kveton
ALL DAY SUN:
Aeonium arboreum var atropurpurea
Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’
Ipomea batatas ‘Sweet Georgia Heart Purple’
Pennisetum setaceum ‘Fireworks’
Sedum spureum ‘Dragon’s Blood’
This container receives morning, afternoon & late-day sun throughout the growing season. All the plants are sun & heat loving. They were chosen for colour & texture rather than flowers. Occasional deep watering has kept it in top condition. It has required no fertilizing other than a touch of sea soil for mulch after planting and fish fertilizer once a month.
Container Contest
2nd Place Tie - Gillian Escalante
Canna ‘King Humbert Red’
Coleus, 2 types
Plectranthus ciliates
Ipomoea batatas ‘Sweet Caroline Light Green’ (sweet potato vine)
Lysimachia variegated procumbens
Sedum ‘Dragon’s Blood’
Sedum ‘Angelina’
Begonia, bronze leaf, red
Container Contest
2nd Place Tie - Linda Turnbull
FAUCET CONTAINER
The container’s main purpose is to hide my water source. This year’s secondary goal was to have something in bloom every month for the entire season. The only detractor was waiting for stems of spent blooms to ripen so I could cut them down. Bloom times are noted for the different plants.
Brugmansia varigata (aka ‘Devil’s Trumpet) (August, September)
Cynara cardunculus (aka cardoon)
Dahlia ‘Fire & Ice’ (July, August, September)
Imene hymenocalis ‘Advance’ (aka Peruvia daffodil)
Ivy Geranium ‘Great Balls of Fire (May to October)
Dicondra ‘Silver Falls’
Lilium ‘Tiny Nanny’ (June, July)
View of a Garden
1st Place - Brenda Fairfax
This image has a very nice visual flow along the pathway, and the poppies in the foreground add vibrancy and interest. The flowers are well placed in the lower left of the frame, with a small visual echo in the top right, and this helps balance the diagonal line for the path.
A very well composed and lovely image.
View of a Garden
2nd Place - Audrey Barnes
These unfurling tendrils create their own sense of movement in the image. They make for a very interesting subject as a group. The background is nicely out of focus and keeps the viewer’s attention on the foreground.
The bright washed out area in the top right is a little distracting: it’s possible that a small change of angle could have kept that out of the frame, but all the same the image is very appealing.
View of a Garden
3rd Place - Brenda Fairfax
The upward view of these sunflowers is already an interesting and effective view, and somehow the contrail streaking towards the apex of the plant adds a surprising addition to the whole composition.
Creative and interesting work.
View of a Garden
Honorable Mention: Gillian Escalante
The photographer has made excellent use of the elements here to create a natural frame, with the poppies arching upwards at the top, and the weathered branch mirroring the arch at the bottom.
The center of the plant would benefit from something to focus the viewer’s attention, but I applaud the use geometry and symmetry in the composition.
Macro Photography
1st Place - Gillian Escalante
This is such a vibrant and fascinating image! The composition feels balanced and dynamic with the flower’s dark center in the lower corner and the bee along a diagonal line to the opposite corner. The sea of intense yellow lets the viewer appreciate the main subject without visual distractions.
It is also technically well done, with the bee nicely sharp in a shallow depth of field.
Splendid image!
Macro Photography
2nd Place - Dawn Dutrizac-Larose
This image has beautiful rich colours and plenty of fine details to hold the viewer’s interest. The water droplets, like little jewels, take the image to a whole new level.
The composition and crop are quite centered, but there is plenty of interest to make the shot feel dynamic.
A beautiful macro image.
Macro Photography
3rd Place - Brenda Fairfax
A well composed and very elegant image of bleeding hearts. The blurred background, or bokeh, is interesting but not distracting, and the flowers seem to float in a gentle sea of colour.
The composition is well planned and incorporates the decreasing flower sizes with a sloping line so that the viewer’s attention moves naturally through the image.
A well executed image.
Macro Photography
3Honorable Mention: Linda Turnbull
This image immediately grabs the viewer’s attention. The photographer chose an angle that is very pleasing and engaging, and the little spines on the petals add interest and depth. The way the filaments (I think!) travel out of the frame also adds to the dynamic nature of the scene.
Well done!
Visitors in the Garden
1st Place - Brenda Fairfax
This trio of raccoons captures such a splendid moment: it feels like a scene in a very interesting story. The viewer can’t help but attribute human characteristics to these three… mischievousness with a touch of guilt at being caught.
A wonderfully timed and composed image!
Visitors in the Garden
2nd Place - Paul Larose
This little bird is nestled in a very pleasing array of branches that make an effective natural frame. The light on the branches and the lovely accent of the dusting of snow do a great deal to keep the whole composition interesting.
Focus is spot on, and the exposure is good in a tricky light environment.
A well taken image.
Visitors in the Garden
3rd Place - Linda Turnbull
This is a very up-close-and-personal portrait of a squirrel that seems to capture his personality nicely. The little treasure he’s holding makes this much more of a story than it would have been without it.
The shadows on the left are perhaps a little deep, but the light on his coat and tail are perfect. The green blur at the left does create a bit of a distraction, and if the photographer has access to some image editing software this could be removed quite easily. Nonetheless, a very cute and effective picture.
Garden Colour - WHITE
1st Place - Paul Larose
This photo has wonderfully rich colours throughout the frame that serve to surround the solitary white blossom and clearly focus the viewer’s attention where it belongs.
The exposure on the white petals is very well done, preserving the textures while still capturing the brightness and interesting shadows.
Compositionally, having the white flower off center to the left, and countering it with the cluster of blurred reds on the right make this feel well balanced.
This is an excellent image!
Garden Colour - WHITE
2nd Place - Brenda Fairfax
This image feels very refined and elegant. The composition is well thought-out with the stamen at the lower third of the frame, and the 3 main petals take the eye upwards from there.
Exposure is excellent, as is clarity.
A very pleasing image!
Garden Colour - WHITE
3rd Place - Linda Turnbull
This is a very creative use of light, and the result is very eye-catching. Having the sun “rising” over the horizon of the blossom makes the sense of scale unusual and quite fascinating.
An imaginative composition!