Studio39Designs

Bright Blooms

Of course, the stars of any garden are the bright, or at least striking, blooms and plants that we see.  This garden, on this morning, certainly did not disappoint.  Beautiful blooms galore….and one that was so striking I had to include it even tho it’s doesn’t meet the definition of the word “bright”…

Pink Beauties

These blooms were right next to the one the bee was busily working on.  Altho I really liked the original image of them, I felt they needed a bit more of a special touch, so I converted the image to a pastel painting effect.  It really highlights there simple beauty and just the joy that seems to leap from their petals.

Rose Unfurling

I’m not generally struck by roses unless they are in full bloom, but there was something about this rose, with its one petal unfurled, that captured my attention, and I just felt like I had to capture its gentle awakening.

Tousled Petals

There was certainly nothing gentle about this bloom.  It fairly yelled “Look at me!”….and I did!  It was a bit of a windy day, so perhaps that’s why the petals on this sunflower were rather tousled looking!

Bright Center

Now, we’re shifting gears back to the gentle nature of some flowers.  This lone little blossom just seemed to cry out to be noticed…..and with the very bright center, I couldn’t help but do just exactly that!  I love the contrast between that bright center and the soft subtle, yet rich, color of its petals and the surrounding greenery.

Royal Color

This is the same blossom from a different angle.  And, it’s amazing how much brighter the petals are – it’s just the slightly different angle and how the sun plays off the flower.  Now, the entire flower seems equally bright when compared with the yellow center.

Sunflowers

I love how these sunflowers just seemed to “pop” against the dark background of the area around the pond.  It almost seemed as if they were glowing!  They are such happy flowers, I couldn’t resist including them in this post.

Hosta Blooms

The hostas were blooming, too, on this morning, and I was lucky enough to be able to get up close and personal with some of those blooms.  I never realized how lovely and delicate they are.  I felt as if I breathed too hard, they would just fall apart.

Cactus

And, finally, I’m ending with a type of plant more commonly thought of growing in the southwest – cactus!  This is a variation of a yucca plant, I believe, and I really loved the graphic nature of its broad leaves.  As I processed this image, I thought the graphic nature of the plant called for this image to be a black and white image, so thru the magic of digital processing, that’s what it became!

Enjoy!