How does your garden grow?

Well...

I take that back...

how does your garden look right now,

as it prepares itself for the long cold winter?

Today was a wonderful bright, cool day.

So..

out the door I went..

camera in hand.

Here is what I saw..... 

I love these two camellia bushes, a tender touch in an otherwise sparse growing season.

Even the buds are beautiful....they speak of hope...

I have always been drawn to Magnolia leaves too....great for decorating.

I know these are very dark, but I love them that way

this water fountain runs all year round and usually doesn't freeze. 

Love the look of droplets....

Contorted leaves...

The last of the lantana blossoms...

Dog-earred hostas...

White pine needles...

And my very favorite, Japanese maple...

But, oh those camellias....

Even the sage is slowing down...

My porch swing needs another coat of paint...

And my ferns are being eaten by 

who knows what...

How does your garden grow these days?

smiles....

I am lost in a maze of photo files....

But,...it's fun...

I love re-living the experience of our trip to

Brookgreen Gardens...

If you have the opportunity to go...

do it.

The gardens are made up of 4 former rice plantations,

bought and saved by a couple in the early part of the twentieth century.

The wrought iron is everywhere....

The lush gardens have been manicured in a most natural way...

Some areas of the gardens are more formal..and arranged...

Others are quite wild....

The day that we visited for the first time,

was overcast, grey, and a bit cool...

The weather made photography interesting...

One might think it would leave things flat..

it could have...

but a little manipulation..and

wah-lah!

an image that I really love....

I love that!

When I first cradled a camera,

many years ago...

the technology was such that your manipulation

took place at the time of focusing.
Now I can think about what I want to do with my image

while it is uploading to my computer...

Over the weekend

I am taking the time for myself...

so that I can smell the swamp water...

hear those cranes, egrets and
eagles...

feel the splatter of the water from the fountains...

Ah...

fall in the south...

smiles.