Grandpa says he pre-supposes
Wild success for his roses
But when he tends the bougainvillea
Help me hold the ladder, will ya?
Wild success for his roses
But when he tends the bougainvillea
Help me hold the ladder, will ya?
Showing posts with label bougainvillea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bougainvillea. Show all posts
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Nature's Salute To The Morning
In The Mellow Sunlight Of An Indian Haven
Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON
These shots were taken in a friend’s garden in December 2006. I was in Dehra Dun, northern India, for only four days and was revelling in the opportunity to use my camera in a part of the country I had never been to.
Even though I grew up in India, and travelled widely, there are many parts I still have not visited and Rajasthan, in particular, still draws me like a magnet.
I was up early every morning in Dehra Dun, the better to use the soft winter light. The frosts had not started, but there was heavy dew on the grass and the diffused light was great to capture soft tones that might otherwise have been harder to nail down in bright light.
Bougainvillea, as any Indian will tell you, is common in all parts of the country and it’s not unusual to see great bursts of vivid colours across a stark wall or boundary area. The plant is actually named after Louis Antoine de Bougainville, an French admiral who is credited with being the first European to discover the captivating species in Brazil in 1768.
Like many of the older villas in Dehra Dun, a prime outpost in the Raj era, this is a beautiful cottage with an English-style garden. The bougainvillea was growing in large pots, so I was able to shoot at slightly below eye level, choosing my angle so as to utilise the light to best effect.
And if you do grow bougainvillea, I am reliably told that it flowers most profusely if trimmed lightly. Resist the urge to cut it back harshly – and you’ll be rewarded with bursts of long-lasting colour in a variety of shades.
Visit Luiz Santilli Jr for the home of Today's Flowers.
Even though I grew up in India, and travelled widely, there are many parts I still have not visited and Rajasthan, in particular, still draws me like a magnet.
I was up early every morning in Dehra Dun, the better to use the soft winter light. The frosts had not started, but there was heavy dew on the grass and the diffused light was great to capture soft tones that might otherwise have been harder to nail down in bright light.
Bougainvillea, as any Indian will tell you, is common in all parts of the country and it’s not unusual to see great bursts of vivid colours across a stark wall or boundary area. The plant is actually named after Louis Antoine de Bougainville, an French admiral who is credited with being the first European to discover the captivating species in Brazil in 1768.
Like many of the older villas in Dehra Dun, a prime outpost in the Raj era, this is a beautiful cottage with an English-style garden. The bougainvillea was growing in large pots, so I was able to shoot at slightly below eye level, choosing my angle so as to utilise the light to best effect.
And if you do grow bougainvillea, I am reliably told that it flowers most profusely if trimmed lightly. Resist the urge to cut it back harshly – and you’ll be rewarded with bursts of long-lasting colour in a variety of shades.
Visit Luiz Santilli Jr for the home of Today's Flowers.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Wall Mounted
Splash Of Colour Near A Perth Beach
Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON
Many flowers remind me of my father. This year makes it a quarter-century since he died, but I suspect that he and his brothers must have grown up in a home with beautiful garden beds.
When my brother and I were children, our Dumayne Avenue home was bordered by a huge L-shaped garden that always had splashes of colour, with cannas, dahlias, sweetpeas and bougainvillea among the many varieties that bloomed in the Calcutta sun.
Every time I see dahlias and bougainvillea, I think of my Dad. I remember, too, how he used to be enchanted by his favourite variety of bougainvillea – the pink-and-white Mary Palmer.
During a long road trip from New Delhi to Dehra Dun in northern India in December 2007, we saw many bungalows with mature bougainvillea providing vivid colour against their walls.
While we were in Western Australia this month, I was (understandably) drawn to this beautiful variety in the back yard of a friend’s beachside Sorrento home.
The blooms were a perfect foil for the muted colours of the exterior walls and even though this wasn’t a Mary Palmer, it would have got my father’s seal of approval.
Visit Luiz Santilli Jr for the home of Today's Flowers.
When my brother and I were children, our Dumayne Avenue home was bordered by a huge L-shaped garden that always had splashes of colour, with cannas, dahlias, sweetpeas and bougainvillea among the many varieties that bloomed in the Calcutta sun.
Every time I see dahlias and bougainvillea, I think of my Dad. I remember, too, how he used to be enchanted by his favourite variety of bougainvillea – the pink-and-white Mary Palmer.
During a long road trip from New Delhi to Dehra Dun in northern India in December 2007, we saw many bungalows with mature bougainvillea providing vivid colour against their walls.
While we were in Western Australia this month, I was (understandably) drawn to this beautiful variety in the back yard of a friend’s beachside Sorrento home.
The blooms were a perfect foil for the muted colours of the exterior walls and even though this wasn’t a Mary Palmer, it would have got my father’s seal of approval.
Visit Luiz Santilli Jr for the home of Today's Flowers.
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