Thursday, April 23, 2015

Favourite View

My current favourite view and part of the garden is also the most difficult to photograph.


Why? It is a narrow space and it's not easy to find a spot to photograph it well. Plus getting the timing right when the lighting is fine for taking photos is not simple either.


The area I'm referring to is the side passage that is the access way to go in and out of our garden without having to go through the house, and a view that we have on the glass side door of our kitchen.


We've played with so many ideas through the years on how to best utilise this spot and what makeover to do. But until we know for certain what our neighbour intends to do for good (they keep changing their mind) we can't proceed with anything permanent, structural, and long lasting. The wall that comprises the other half of this passage is the back of their coal shed and if they decide to go ahead with an extension then this coal shed will be demolished. But they have been talking about that for ten years now and I suspect it'll remain just a plan....

With the side door now open
Anyway we decided to make the most of the area especially since we can see most parts of it now from the kitchen when we changed the side door from opaque to glass a couple of years ago.

x Fatshedera lizei
Illicium majus
Pseudopanax 'Trident'
The trellis has been there since we moved in ten years ago (how time flies!) and we've trained a x Fatshedera lizei to go over it. Apart from that for years the spot was mostly used for storage of plants waiting to be planted out as well as the rubbish bins. It looked good with having rows of potted plants along it so we continued with that concept, just more organised this time plus we planted out an Illicium majus by lifting out a paving stone.

Pseudopanax crassifolius 'Trifoliata' towering well above me now. That's me standing and pointing up!
Then we placed the masks that used to be on the old jungle hut that was fire damaged on to the trellis and they now intermingle with the foliage.




The side passage looks very lush and jungle-y and a view we enjoy when sat on the dining table facing the side door. A big improvement than just having an almost bare trellis and rubbish bins like it was before.



What about you, do you have any part of your garden that you like but find difficult to take photos of?

Mark :-)

23 comments :

  1. Oh, I love this! You've artfully stuffed a small space with so much goodness without making it feel small.

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    1. Thanks Heather! I'm glad we managed to do it despite the limitation in space :)

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  2. Every property has an odd spot, doesn't it? You've done a creative decorative display with yours...it looks great.

    I have a couple really beautiful roses that I can never get a good photo of because they are in a harshly lit area, and the hummingbird feeder that is right outside the kitchen windows--the birds are right there to photograph, but the lighting is poor.

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    1. Thanks Gail and definitely, for every property there's always than one or two tricky spot. Funny how the positioning of that spot and consequent lighting plays a major role. It may be fine to look at but to take photos is a different matter. I was off work yesterday so managed to take pics :)

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  3. Nice work there -- you wouldn't even know that it's a side passage!

    Right now I'm not sure that I have any parts of the garden that I like, as everything is still small and/or needs a good tidying. I'll think about it for later this spring though...

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    1. Give it another couple of weeks Alan and you'll have loads to like for sure :)

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  4. Moving the old masks from the previous tiki hut to here was a brilliant idea. I like the idea of training a Fatshedera on it. I've been frustrated with mine, because it flops. And I have several areas that are both hard to photograph and easy to overlook, and that are...quirky.

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    1. Hope you get the chance to photograph and blog about those spots Alison, would love to see them! :)

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  5. That's a perfect location for those masks, even if it is hard to photograph. Light presents most of the challenges for me when taking photos - I can't photograph all areas of the garden at the same time because the light is usually either too strong or too weak in one area or another.

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    1. Lighting is such a big factor isn't it Kris? All masks are in one area now and no longer scattered :)

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  6. Side passage areas are so difficult aren't they ? I've struggled with mine for years. I think your solution works well !

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    1. Very Kathy, with the limitation in light and space. But if there's a will there's a way :)

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  7. This is such a fun part of your garden! I love the masks peeking out from behind the foliage. Deep in the jungle and just outside your kitchen window!

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    1. Thanks Peter :) that part of the garden makes me smile every time I see it :)

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  8. Oh that Illicium majus, I want! (But a quick internet search says that's not going to happen). I find the newly (last year) planted area to the north of the patio very hard to photograph. The horizontal lines of the fence are very busy, and the unstained wood not terribly beautiful for a backdrop.

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    1. Might be worth checking if Sean has anything in his prop house? Perhaps later this year it will be much easier to take photos of that spot Loree :)

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  9. Hello Mark and Gaz,

    We love this side garden. The masks are a great addition, adding fun as well as decoration to this tight spot. And, coupled with the glossy green climbers, they really give a 'jungle' feel. So much better than looking at a blank wall or the back of a coal shed!

    This is a real triumph of planting and getting the most from a small space.

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    1. That's lovely to hear Jane and Lance, thank you! :)

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  10. Almost the whole garden is difficult to take a photograph of - I am constantly amazed by the beauty of something like emerging dark crimson peony foliage against the creamy yellow of primroses, then frustrated by my inability to capture it on camera. And I also find distance views - ie the whole of the middlesized garden - very difficult to capture without everything just looking bland and flat, and all the colour disappearing. Suspect the answer is a photography course, but time.....

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    1. Time precious time, such a luxury that we all wish we have loads of. And money too of course :)

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  11. You've done a great job with a difficult space. Definitely better than just a garbage bin holding area :)

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  12. What a fabulous and inviting passage way leading to your garden. I would definitely want to go further. I hope that the neighbours leave things as they are.

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  13. Haha, I love how you can see different moods on the masks in the trellis.

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