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Importance of Timing

Gardens are always on the move, and evolve over time some would say aging gracefully and this achieved with or without human intervention.

Naturally gardens go through phases following the seasons of the year and they are heavily influenced by the weather conditions around at that time and some gardens have been managed just to do this. The weather not only affects when they flower and flourish but also the amount of colour where greater sunlight has been or the opposite of destroying them through frosts and adverse weather conditions within their normal cycle.

Many wild gardens have little human involvement and are managed to attract wildlife, and there are many nature reserves throughout the UK that do this. On the other hand gardens within our stately homes which have manicured hedges, specialty garden features are controlled by human intervention, what we can see in them is planned and therefore gives us a more likely possibility of seeing something at whatever time of year we visit. Of course humans can only determine what is going to be in the garden and at what quality, we have no control over when the plants should bloom or flourish. You will find many of the gardens listed within our listing guides have websites, and many use these to let us all know when something is out in flower and ready to see.

All you can say is that a garden is an inspiration at whatever time of year, in whatever weather conditions. As a continually evolving environment you can never catch the same display twice and what you can get one year cannot be repeated again. Next year however, there will be more enjoyment and different characteristics that you will be able to capture.

See Larger Image Colour adds to the picture

See Larger Image Features give structure and focus

These differing conditions of course throw up different challenges each time, it is always keeping you on your toes photographically. You are continually having to consider the lighting conditions, what techniques to use and at what point you will get or miss that photograph. For example let us take Bluebells. Typically Bluebells are expected at the end of April beginning of May, but this is affected by the weather, light and the environment they are grown in. In my garden which is in a town environment and totally open to the sun, there are no trees providing shaded areas, they are out in full bloom for 3-4 weeks in May. However in woodlands they could still be getting to that carpet stage, there are plants out but not in the widespread carpets we would expect. Catching them just right is a case of visiting the woodland a number of times and keeping an eye on local conditions to see what is happening around you. Take a look at Where to Photograph Bluebells to find some near you.

So whether your garden is small or large there is something there for you to photograph at any time of year.


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By: Tracey Park Section: Gardens Section Key:
Page Ref: gp_timing Topic: Gardens Last Updated: 03/2011
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