Lyndy Broder and Clematis

Seeing all the clematis in bloom this week reminded me of a friend from that I've lost contact with over the years.  Back in the mid 90s I worked to start a garden club that really bloomed into something extraordinary.  As the club formed, I reached out to the current president (at the time) of the state Master Gardner's association who just so happened to live in our county.  He offered to help round up incredible speakers for the first year so that we didn't have to pay speakers fees and it wasn't long before our club grew gaining some amazing members and plant experts.  One of those experts was Lyndy Broder.

I don't really recall what I knew about Clematis before I met Lyndy but after spending time with her and visiting her gardens, clematis became an important part of my garden. First, I'll tell you a little about Lyndy and then share a few things about clematis.

Lyndy was a busy mom with career and four children so she didn't really begin to garden until her early 50s.  Lucky for her, she was able to retire early and one of the first things she did was to complete the Master Gardner's program.  Lyndy got involved with a number of the plant societies but one of the plants that captured her attention most was clematis.  She began to study the plant and learned that there were varieties to be found on the tundra and in our woodlands.   After hearing about Brother Stefan Franczak

Lyndy made a trip to Poland to meet Brother Stefan and to study some of his developed varieties.  Over the years Lyndy has become an international expert on clematis and has more that 200 varieties in her garden in Stockbridge, Georgia.  Most recently, she was a contributing author for a new book by Dr. Allen Armitage on vines and climbers.

At Lyndy's you quickly learn that this beautiful vine can be tucked in with so many other plants to create a multitude of unexpected blossoms.  She will often tell you that she plants a clematis with, and at the same time as another tree or plant with the intention of additional blooms.  The thought is that if the plant has bloomed, you can get a second showing with a clematis added to the planting.

A few years ago we moved and in planning our move, I rooted and dug up many of my plants in order to be able to take some of my favorite ones with me.  Unfortunately only six of my clematis survived the process but that gives me an excuse to buy more!  Just in case you are looking for a place to shop for clematis besides your local  nursery, check out Donahue's Greenhouse.

Gotta love that Nikon 50mm f1.8D!!

Next on my wish list is the 85 f1.8 and then the 35 f2.0.

Another sharp Nikon 50mm f1.8D photograph.

Continuing on the subject of how sharp the Nikon 50mm f1.8D is, here is another portrait. I had it printed to 6"X9" yesterday and it's amazing how every stubble of beard and every pore is plainly visible in the print. The computer screen version simply doesn't do it any justice, which leads me to believe that for photographers the final goal really has to be the print. Or if you shoot slide film, then it has to be the projected image.

How many of you still bother with prints, or do you stop at the point of keeping your precious photographs in digital medium on a hard drive.

For myself, very few of my photos ever get printed and displayed in a frame on the wall, but when I do print and hang them I am usually left wondering why I don't do it more often.

Time For A Change

Up till now I've had my dining room table set for spring but with all the hydrangeas starting to bloom I think it's time for a change.   The room looks really happy with lots of yellow, orange and green. 

It may be hard to see but the egg cup is resting on a flower plate..  

 

I was especially happy when I found these lollypops that looked like spring candies. 

These linen napkin ties are one of my favorite things.

Today is our neighborhood cleanup so I'll be headed out to work on neighborhood projects but when I get home, it will be time for a change.  

Have a great day!

P.S.  We had great fun at the neighborhood clean up.  Here's our team:

"Fake" Vintage Photograph

 I got a demo copy of Paint Shop Pro and it has some cool effects, I particularly liked this vintage look.

While the little gimmics in PSP are kinda cool, I still prefer the totaly free GIMP graphics program. You heard right, FREE! And it really works. Aside from the picture above, all the photos on this blog are processed in the GIMP. You can download it here: GIMP Download Page.

We interrupt this post for a {horsey} commercial break…

And growing…

sigh

carry on.

Isaac and Alisa - Wedding

 

Nikon F801s, Nikkor 50mm f1.8, Fuji Superia film.

I may have posted this before, but I was looking through my files and realized just how sharp the "nifty fifty" from Nikon is! Why pay R17899 (US$2294) for a "pro" f2.8 zoom when this lens is at least as sharp, and faster as well? All for only R1399 (US$179), and that's the cheapest lens Nikon makes!

Also consider that this was taken on a 21 year old camera and cheap "consumer" film.

My biggest problem these days is finding a decent lab to process my negs. If anybody knows of a good lab in Pretoria, please contact me and let me know.