Datura Blossoms

Datura is a plant that grows in warm climates and is also known as “angel’s trumpets” and “moonflower”. It has long been known to have hallucinogenic properties and commonly used by Yaqui and other Native American tribes in rituals. I have a friend who is an emergency room doctor and she talks about all the kids that come to the ER because they have ingested Datura or part of the plant. The blooms however are beautiful but you need to be careful if you have dogs or other pets if you have this plant in your garden.

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Datura Blooms

Datura Blooms

Bok Reflections

At the base of Bok Tower is a lovely large pool and Koi pond with beautiful reflections of Florida foliage.

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Bok Reflections

Bok Reflections

The Gardens at Iao Valley State Park

At the base of Iao Needle Park in Maui is a beautiful International Garden we visit almost every time we are on Maui. The park has a wonderful peaceful feeling which led these young men in to the spirit of the dance. You can buy a print of this on my commercial gallery and see other images by clicking here.

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.

Iao Valley State Park

Iao Valley State Park

Monet’s Garden at Giverny

It was difficult taking pictures in Giverny. There were a lot of people and the garden had a lot of shade. I was without a tripod and it was challenging to get the correct depth of field.This plant had some light on it making it one of the “keepers” from the shoot. I am assuming this plant is holly?

Monet’s water garden in Giverny is located just outside of Vernon France. It is a short day trip from Paris and worth the train and bus ride. The house and gardens are unique and stunning and kept in the same way that they were during the time of Claude Monet. If you have the time it is worth spending a night since the entire area is really a tribute to nature and art. You can see other images and buy prints and apparel at my commercial gallery.

holly

Day Lilly

We didn’t see this flower last year. The dog we were fostering, Shadow, seemed to think they were special treats just for him. I tried taking pictures of it a couple of years ago before Shadow but could not get the color right. The gardener, my lovely wife, says that this matches the plant color perfectly. I credit Mr Sun who provided a bright overcast afternoon without hard shadows. You can see other images and buy prints of this one at my commercial gallery.

Day Lilly 2013

Day Lilly 2013

Giverny Geraniums

Some people think that all flowers are created equally. I mean why should a tulip that is located in Holland be any better than a tulip in my garden? A geranium is a geranium right? Well maybe so but these geraniums were growing in Monet’s water garden in Giverny near Vernon France so to me, they are special not because of the flower but because of the background. This is not available for sale because I didn’t have a tripod and had to compromise on the exposure settings and this was hand held at ISO 400 f5.6 for 1/80th of a second. You can see other works of nature and buy prints at my commercial gallery.

Giverny Geraniums

Giverny Geraniums

Early Tulips

Spring happens later in the mountains. At 1700 feet above sea level, tulips don’t really bloom until Mothers Day. These are the first tulips of the year in our pocono mountain garden. See other images of spring and buy prints at my commercial gallery.

First Tulips of Spring

First Tulips of Spring

Day Lilly

Yesterday I was mulching our garden and staging it for our open house this weekend. We have three gardens in our Pocono Mountain home. I don’t know if potential buyers realize the significance of having any garden in a terrain this rough. When we bought this house it was new and hardscaped, not landscaped. I personally moved four tons of top soil into the gardens and after ten years of mulching and composting it actually looks pretty good. I wish the day lilies were open this weekend because they are magnificent but potential buyers should like the blooming daffodils, tulips and periwinkle. You can see other floral images or buy a print of this one at my commercial gallery.

Day Lilly

Day Lilly