Home
Contest Winners 2024

Contest Winners 2017

Container Winners 2017 (Click on a photo to get a full size view)

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)

Photo Winners 2017

Photos: View of a Garden (Click on a photo to get a full size view)

Can be an over-all or partial view (even of just one plant) of any NWHS member’s garden.

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.

Photos: Macros (Click on a photo to get a full size view)

Must be a macro photograph, can be of any subject matter in any garden. aka “extreme close-up”. If a photo is printed 4”x6” and the subject is life size or larger, it is a macro image. Macro images cannot be entered in visitors, colour or view categories—only in the macro category

Macro 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 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 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 Honorable 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!

Photos: Garden Colour White (Click on a photo to get a full size view)

Best capture of the colour in plant material in any 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!

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!

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!

Photos: Visitors in the Garden (Click on a photo to get a full size view)

Can be something living or a representation of something living. i.e. may include humans, animals, insects, fish or even gnomes and statues. The photograph must be taken in your own garden. “Visitor” does not include plants which are visiting.

Visitors 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 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 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.

New Westminster Horticultural Society (NWHS)