Magnolia Plantation and Cemetery

Our Charleston workshop began on a chilly, damp day at Magnolia Plantation, a short ride from our hotel. We were there when the gates opened at 8 am. Unlike my last visit, the cold spring weather had delayed blooms on most of the azaleas. So we set out to find other scenes to capture.

The “plantation” building at Magnolia Plantation, seen from a distance, with a borrowed 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. Thanks, Alan!

As you can see, most of the deciduous trees hadn’t broken bud yet. The exceptions were some wonderful crabapples (I think), like those barely visible on the left side of the photo above. Behind the plantation, tucked away in a hidden nook, I found some others.

A fall of crabapple blossoms, in two colors, behind Magnolia Plantation

Azaleas were just starting to bloom.

Pink azaleas were among the few in bloom at Magnolia Plantation

The Oak Allee at Magnolia Plantation, with the single azalea in bloom I could find near it.

Fire-engine-red azaleas begged to be photographed, so I obliged.

Later that week, we visited another destination with ‘Magnolia’ in its name – Magnolia Cemetery. Some of the graves date back to the 1700′s, and the general feeling is one of mystery (aided by the huge live oaks dripping in Spanish moss). Some of my fellow workshop members broke out their infrared cameras once the sun got high; not having one, I tried to stick to less sunny areas but the light was tough.

A quiet dirt path leading through the cemetery

The ironwork around the gravesites was intricate and impressive. Rusted, too.

Beautiful rusted ironwork surrounded the gravesites of Confederate soldiers at Magnolia Cemetery.

But my favorite image is probably this one, with the river in the background and a mysterious stone obelisk anchoring the right side of the photo, balancing the graves to the left.

Early morning sun illuminates the surroundings at Magnolia Cemetery.

For more of Magnolia Plantation, visit my 2010 post, Charleston Redux – Magnolia Plantation.

Small Treasures in Charleston

Part of the “skyline” of downtown Charleston not far from Battery Park and Rainbow Row.

Time to visit Charleston – at least as I saw it in mid-March this year. This city is truly a photographer’s paradise in terms of the diverse subject matters there are to explore and try to capture with your lens(es).

Although I first visited this area in 2009, this workshop exposed me to so much I had not seen before. And this time I was using a new camera, bought only two weeks beforehand, a Nikon D600. Shooting full-frame at last, and with images captured at 24 MB each, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Fortunately, I wasn’t disappointed – the D600 is a champ! Aside from needing to clean some dust spots off the sensor one night (in my hotel room, under controlled conditions, thankfully), I was really impressed by the detail it captured.

One of the afternoons (and one morning) were spent wandering around downtown Charleston on our own. Most of the houses are townhouse style and sit right on the sidewalk. So the homeowners seem to take pride in dressing up their windows with beautifully-planted containers. Even in relatively chilly conditions, the plants seemed to be doing just fine, and brightened up the scene quite a bit.

A window box on a townhouse near Rainbow Row

Another window box, immaculately kept.

Even businesses “dress up” their window boxes.

This image was one of my favorites, not so much for the flowers as the overall ensemble.

The shutters and door colors match, but the anchor on the wall makes this image. At upper left, a crape myrtle that has yet to leaf out adds an air of mystery.

Charlestonians who live downtown have small gardens that are not unlike those here in Georgetown. They may be postage-stamp-sized but quite glorious. In spring each year, the city holds a “Festival of Houses and Gardens,” which allows entry into some of these wonders. And this year, for the first time, The Garden Conservancy held an Open Days event which included a baker’s dozen of what are surely fabulous gardens, on May 25th.

I had to be content with small glimpses into some courtyard gardens, which were lovely indeed.

A carefully and beautifully-designed courtyard garden visible from the street in downtown Charleston. Captured with Camera+ by my iPhone5 and processed in Photoshop.

Part of a small Charleston garden, visible through a gate.

Another peek into a courtyard garden.

Crabapples in bloom in a side garden.

That’s it for this post. Next time – a visit to two “Magnolia” locations: Magnolia Plantation and Magnolia Cemetery.

An ‘Endemic Creation’ in El Cerrito

I enjoy visiting gardens that unsettle my designer’s sensibilities. One of my sons once told me that he thinks of me as a photographer who likes taking images of “beautiful things” (rather than edgy street scenes, etc.) and I guess that’s what my mindset is when I design – somewhat traditional gardens with as much beauty in the design concept as I can pull together. So when we visited a garden on the APLD Conference Tour described in our materials as an “East Bay hillside in a modern vein,” I was delighted that our schedule let us spend some time there so I could take it all in.

Created by Brian Swope, who describes himself as a ‘contrarian designer,’ the back yard garden welcomed us first.

The view from this part of the garden includes a vantage point that takes in the neighbors’ house – which belongs to the garden owners’ parents.

Where to start? The sloping site has been brilliantly handled; the gravel “trail” that is visible just beyond the  perforated steel obelisk ( which is lit at night) climbs a hill that is modeled after trails in Marin County, complete with switchbacks.

‘Siskyou Blue’ fescue grasses soften the planting area at the foot of the perforated steel obelisk.

The plantings in the garden are predominantly native species, including small buckeye saplings that cast shadows at night against panels set above a retaining wall behind the dining patio.

Buckeye saplings edge the patio area at the top of the steps.

Poured concrete walls, as well as the edging for the planting beds shown above, have been textured with Trex – something that I never would have thought of doing in a million years.

Bed edging, created from concrete forms textured with Trex.

Closer to the house, in a shady site, planting combinations were softer.

I loved this combination of ferns, ginger, clover and other shade plants at the edge of the back of the house.

The front yard, installed in a second phase of work, is defined by a previously existing bamboo hedge. Swope chose other large forms – substantial rocks, Corten-steel edging, and gravel – to respond to the bamboo as counterpoints. (For a look at some other Corten steel projects for the garden, click here.)

A variety of shapes and textures, including ‘Siskiyou Blue’ fescue grass again, define the narrow front garden.

In a harsh and challenging setting (with a fabulous view of the Bay), Swope and his client have created an inviting, modernist landscape. We felt privileged to visit it – and I knew my designer’s horizons had expanded, more than a little.

Art in the Garden, Bay Area-Style

One of the most enjoyable stops on the September 2012 “garden tour” APLD conference was a Bay area garden owned by Gail Giffen and Chris Pisarro in Lafayette, CA. Our tour materials gave this garden the title “Playing for Art’s Sake,” and that felt pretty accurate. The sculpture selections are eclectic and whimsical – from tiny metal marching “ants” at the foot of a large tree draped in a Marcia Donahoe “necklace” of carved wooden spheres, to a “motorcycle creature” hiding in the grasses on the outskirts of the back yard. The garden was designed by Michael Thilgen at Four Dimensions Landscape Company. Pisarro and Giffen, who sits on the Board of the Ruth Bancroft Garden, were incredibly gracious hosts – mimosas and snacks were on hand! I’ll let my photos tell the rest of the story.

Water, metal, stone and grasses create a wonderful palette of textures.

A view from the patio next to the rear entrance to the house.

The architectural elements of a motorcycle “creature” contrasts with flowing grasses.

Landscape and sculpture meld together in the outskirts of the garden.

Two reclining stone sculptures seem to rise from a bed or grasses and gaura.

The two figures, with the pool house in the background

A Malliol-like sculpture hugged the diving board but couldn’t block our access to champagne and Mimosa cocktails!

The swimming pool area, complete with sculptures.

Three mysteriously painted, colorful sculptures dominate the view from the rear patio.