Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy

On Saturday, May 3rd I had the privilege of going on a photo walk of the Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy. The walk was lead by Jeri Knudsen from j.a.k.s. Photography and Bob Gibson from Blue Water Photography.

It started at 8am and, was scheduled to run until ten...which, ten, I believe is the normal opening time for the public.

The gardens themselves are gorgeous and well worth checking out. The emphasis: "rhododendrons" however, there are azaleas and a multitude of other plants and flowers to investigate and enjoy.

The gardens are located at 1931 NW 33rd Street in Lincoln City, Oregon. 

I brought two cameras...my Pentax DSLR and my Canon Point and Shoot. I left my tripod at home and, decided instead, to bring a monopod. Big mistake!  In short, my images were not even close to being "tack sharp" like they should be with the Pentax.

So, all the images you see here are with my handheld point and shoot...so, please bear with me. At least I had the foresight to bring that.

I really want to thank Jeri from j.a.k.s. Photography and Bob from Blue Water Photography for sponsoring the walk. Both teach photography and, are wedding and special event photographers. And, both are wonderful folks! Check em out!

Jeri can be reached at 503-367-8287 (j.a.k.s.photostudio@gmail.com) and Bob can be reached at 541-992-3114 (Bob@bluewaterphoto.net)

Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy

Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy

Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy

Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy

Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy

Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy

Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy

Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy

Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy

Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy

If you like what you see on my blog, please help support it by going to my Fine Art America Photography site to check out my photography. It can be purchased in a variety of print formats, greeting cards and custom phone cases! (See Below!)

All Rights Reserved My Oregon Photography Blog, Thom Zehrfeld, Copyrighted 2014-2015. Also, please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure! Thank You!

California Lilac

Not too long ago my wife and I purchased a "California Lilac" from a local nursery and planted it in our yard. It was just a little guy.

Today, that little guy has grown into a beautiful scrub and one of our favorites in the yard.  It has many more blooms on it than the normal lilac tree.

To say the least, it is a magnetic for honey and bubble bees. They love it.

What to learn more? Here's some recommended reading (Links) from Amazon:

1) The California Wildlife Habitat Garden: How to Attract Bees, Butterflies, Birds 

2) Trees and Shrubs of California

3) Lilacs: A Gardener's Encyclopedia 

California Lilac

California Lilac

California Lilacs

California Lilac

All Rights Reserved My Oregon Photography Blog, Thom Zehrfeld, Copyrighted 2013-2014. Also, please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure! Thank You!

Flowering Trees

Believe me when I tell you that a Snowball Tree is a fast growing flowering tree (plant, shrub, whatever)...immensely fast growing. We planted one to hide part of a unsightly fence and it worked.

It started out as a little guy and before we knew it it grew into a huge bush. The blossoms are beautiful.

Ours is about fifteen feet tall. We keep trimming the lower branches to give it the tree-like-look.

I have changed up the photography here and introduced five different modes through Photoshop Elements and Lightroom. Don't want you to get bored of seeing five images of Snowball blooms.

Flowering Trees

Flowering Trees

Snowball Tree

Snowball Tree

Flowering Trees

Here's a couple of great books on flowering trees: Great Flowering Landscape Trees by Vincent Simeone. And, Continuous Color: A Month-by-Month Guide to Shrubs and Small Trees for the Continuous Bloom Garden by Pam Duthie

All Rights Reserved My Oregon Photography Blog, Thom Zehrfeld, Copyrighted 2013-2014. Also, please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure! Thank You!

A Cool Plant Nursery

There is a cool nursery located just off Highway 30 about twenty miles northwest of Portland...the Joy Creek Nursery.

The nursery is located on approximately seven acres. About five acres of that is dedicated garden and stock fields.

The garden area is what separates from the mundane. As you will see in my post here, that’s where the photography was concentrated.

It’s what separates it from other nurseries and makes it unique and certainly worth the trip. Usually, when I am forced to go to any nursery I can’t wait to get out of there. That wasn’t the case with Joy Creek.

Most flowers and plants were in bloom, but it may have been better to go in earlier months to get the full effect of this beautiful place.

Plant Nurseries

Plant Nurseries

Plant Nurseries

Plant Nursery

All Rights Reserved My Oregon Photography Blog, Thom Zehrfeld, Copyrighted 2013-2014. Also, please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure! Thank You!