This was my third visit to Greenbank this year. A delightful ornamental garden within easy reach of the smokey hustle and bustle of Glasgow City Centre, Greenbank is one of those little treasures which hides away from the ignorant masses. For those seeking temporary respite from the pressures of modern living, places like Greenbank are there if you go looking for them. 

The garden as usual has been created around one of those big merchant houses typical of the 18th century. Built from the proceeds of tobacco and slavery, the house was built by Glasgow merchant Robert Allason in 1763. In recent times it was owned by W P Blyth from 1962 who created the ornamental garden we see today. It was finally donated by the Blyths to the National Trust for Scotland in 1976.

                                                                      Greenbank House

The garden itself has many features central of which is the Eros water fountain, there is also a pond with Carp. The garden can be a suntrap in summer and people can be found lazing around soaking up the rays. Although it gets its fair share of visitors, Greenbank is never crowded due to its peripheral location in the Glasgow area.

         Sundial Feature                 

   Dahlia

The borders can be really spectacular in the summer with Dahlias, Begonias and Roses presenting a dazzling kaleidoscope of colour. Allium Globemaster is a speciality here as they seem to appear as a floral centrepiece. There is also a rich variety of insect life which on a hot sunny day are really easy to capture in camera. Insects can be quite lazy in hot weather. In cooler conditions they move around a lot making photography more difficult.

Getting a good day for photography has been a lot harder this summer due to very wet and windy weather. So I managed to take the opportunity of a rare hot day to get out and visit Greenbank. One advantage of Greenbank is that it is well sheltered from the wind. Wind makes flower shots more difficult because the flowers sway and so maintaining focus is hard as the flower sways in and out of focus. This also causes blur if the shutter speed is low, perhaps because light is low. 

In fact when wind is prevalent it is better to dispense with the tripod, something I would normally recommend using and instead hand holding the camera so that you can quickly shift back into focus as the flower moves to a new position.  You must bear in mind the light conditions and so you may have to use a higher ISO in the camera or open up the lens aperture to get a faster shutter speed in order to prevent camera shake blurring the image.

Using flash is another alternative in dull conditions. A circular macro ring flash is very good for getting close to the subject. If you use a normal flash the light emitted from the flash can overshoot the subject, a flash that fits around the lens prevents that. While flash creates a very unnatural look for flowers, I prefer natural light wherever possible, it does work quite spectacularly with insects. The short duration of flash coupled with a small aperture setting of f16 is very good for freezing action.

   ←Get This 

  With This→     Example of ringflash mounted on camera

Photo Tip For The Day

While most amateur flower photographers don’t use a tripod on a dull day why not experiment with flash. Do this by setting your lens aperture to f11 or f16 and using flash as your main light. Depending on your equipment you may get away witha built in flash but if you are using a DSLR then try to get hold of a ringflash. You can usually find an inexpensive manual one for about £20 on ebay. Also try shooting some insects and see what you come up with. Results can be spectacular.

Summary

Greenbank Garden is one of my favourite places to visit. It is small but pretty and secluded and a great place for chilling out. Not difficult this summer. It has a small tea and coffee service but nothing elaborate and the staff are cheery folk.

Marks Out Of 10

Gardens 9/10

Flower Variety 9/10

Facilities 7/10

Refreshments 6.5/10

Note: This is my last garden visit of 2009 but I will post a photography update monthly throughout the winter. Cheero!

Last week I visited the popular visitor destination Culzean Castle on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. About 1 hour drive South of Culzean is another popular National Trust site, Threave Gardens. Located off the A75 near the village of Castle Douglas, Threave Gardens is an excellent location for flower, gardening and photography enthusiasts. The site is also used by full time gardening students who reside in apartments within Threave House.

Originally created by Liverpool businessman William Gordon in the mid 19th century, the house and gardens were handed over to the National Trust for Scotland in 1948 by his grandson Major Alan Gordon. This was largely due to the costs involved in maintaining the site after the war since Britain was skint and the costs of servicing large estates became prohibitive.

  Threave House

The weather was rather mixed on the day of my visit. The rain came on sporadically but the beauty of Threave is there are lots of places that offer cover from the rain. The garden is sprawling with many interesting features. There is an ornamental square enclosed by high hedges. Inside the square there are benches and a pagoda like feature. There is also a walled garden which offers a range of interesting flora for photography and a greenhouse with many exotic varieties.

 Ornate Garden With High Hedges

Normally I have to root around a garden to find a suitable specimen for photography. On this occasion I had only just entered the garden having paid my £5 entance fee when I found this little Gazania. In an otherwise bare area of the garden this little blob of colour was crying out to be paid some attention. It was a dull day but relatively still. Normally I would advocate using a tripod for most work but today I decided to travel light and make do with a monopod. Unlike a tripod, the monopod must be held to prevent it falling over but using delicate balance, will support and reduce camera shake dramatically. Camera shake for those who don’t know is prevalent in dull conditions because the photographer using 100 ISO setting for best quality, is required to use a slow shutter speed in order to let enough light into the camera from which to form an image. Many folk using automatic digital cameras dont realise that in dull conditions the camera adjusts itself to 400 ISO in order to become more light sensitive. The downside to this is a dramatic reduction in quality. The key is to learn how to use your camera and not simply rely on auto settings. 

So equipped with my Canon SLR loaded with film, yes that’s right, film, I began to examine the Gazania through the viewfinder. Although I shoot digital I sometimes like to shoot film as there are certain colour and rendering capabilities with film you don’t get with digital. Shooting film is also more demanding technically as you cannot see the image immediately after capture. One has to rely on one’s own abilities and be confident that the picture is in the can so to speak. Once I had the viewpoint of the Gazania I found most attractive, I then mounted the camera on the monopod and by gently holding it in place squeezed off a couple of shots. I focussed on the flower manually because autofocus simply doesn’t work well so close to the subject. 

Named after Theodore of Gaza (1398-1478), this genus of 16 species emanates from Southern Africa. 

Another tool I used in addition to the monopod for keeping the camera steady was the introduction of a close up lens. These handy and inexpensive accessories screw onto the front of the camera lens allowing you to get that bit closer than average. Mounted on the front of my Sigma 75-300 zoom lens at the 135mm setting, the use of the close up lens gave a marvelous halo effect which gave a dreamy romantic effect. It should be noted that small compacts and many digital cameras wont accept a close up lens. 

                                                                           Close Up Lenses

I reckon I got about 3 cracking shots today, about 12 serviceable images and some dross. I took this shot of Bracteantha Bracteata with a simple standard lens on my SLR and used a flash, which meant I didn’t need the monopod for steadyness. When using flash daylight becomes secondary and because flashlight has a very short time duration, this acts as a very fast shutter speed and so no camera shake. The downside is that flashlight gives a harsh artificail looking image compared with the relative softness of using daylight.

Bracteantha Bracteata grows to a height of 1m and blooms summer to autumn. 

Photo Tip For The Day

Try and use a support under your camera to reduce camera shake and improve sharpness. You can use a monopod or a tripod if you can afford this equipment, otherwise use a nearby support such as a wall or try crouching while holding the camera to improve steadyness. Alternatively use flash if you don’t mind the artificial look. Personally I like the softness of daylight.

Summary

Threave is a great day out for the gardening enthusiast and photographer. It covers a wide area and there is plenty of scope for walkers. The staff are friendly and don’t impede photography. There is a shop selling touristy stuff and a cafe serving food which like Culzean is of a high standard. I should also mention that the site is well shielded from the wind. 

Marks Out Of 10

Gardens 8/10

Flower Variety 9/10

Facilities 8.5/10

Refreshments 7.5/10

Next Visit - Greenbank Gardens, Glasgow

This is an ornate garden enclosed by drystone walls in the suburbs of Glasgow. A hidden gem I am told. Cheero!

As promised in my previous blog I present a few photos from my Culzean visit. If you want to add a comment or help with flower identification then please feel free to add a comment.

1. Argyrenthemum/Marguerite

2. Pompon Dahlia Group 7

3. Dianthus

4. Gallica Rose

5. Don’t know.

6. Hemerocallis Hybrid

Today I visited Culzean Castle near Ayr, a property owned by the National Trust For Scotland. For those not familiar with Culzean it was featured in The Wicker Man as Lord Summerisle’s (played by Christopher Lee) castle. This is one of those places its just nice to be and there are fine views of the coast from the castle ramparts.

The main attraction for me though was the Castle gardens. They are very well tended as one might expect and the abundance of flora is a delight for the amateur gardener and photographer. What I like about Culzean is that the Castle deflects a lot of the wind coming from the west which makes getting sharp flower photos much easier. 

The day was fairly overcast but this can make things easier for photography as it softens the shadows around the flower and renders quite flattering results. I found a number of posy specimens raring to have their photos taken. Of these my favourites on the day turned out to be a small rose, a pompon dahlia, a Hemerocallis (Daylily) and something as yet unidentified. The Painted Lady butterfly was in attendance, fluttering her lashes enticingly but continuing to frustrate by fluttering off at the point of capture. When I say capture I mean photo capture not with a net. Butterflies should be free not in a specimen book.

There were a few tourists around today. The more the merrier as Scotland needs the spondoolies at the moment. One or two American accents as Eisenhower stayed here during the War. This was my first trip put for a while as I’ve spent most of the summer archiving and cataloguing my collection gathered during the previous three years. I made a firm decision to make sense and rationalise the collection rather than allow it to become bloated and unmanageable by taking more and more pictures.

Photo Tip For The Day

So this is my tip for today to those budding flower togs out there. When you get home after a day in the field sort your photos asap and get them into order. Otherwise you’re gonna be left with a huge bundle and a lot of hard work. I will be posting a few of my shots from today’s field trip along with some technical data in the next day or so.

Summary

Culzean is worth visiting for the gardens and the heritage. It is a bit expensive for entry at the main gate and could be cheaper but if you walk along the coastal path from nearby Maidens then you simply walk into the grounds for free. There is a lot of history to the place whether it be Eisenhower’s apartment or a sa movie location. It is a very tranquil and relaxing place and so you should come here to chill out. Refreshments are available at 3 sites within the Castle grounds. Quality is good but at a slight premium. You may want to bring your own packed lunch.

Marks Out Of 10

Gardens 8.5/10

Flower Variety 7/10

Facilities 8/10

Refreshments 7.5/10

Next Visit - Threave Gardens

Watch out for my next visit to another National Trust property Threave Gardens in Dumfries and Gallloway. This site is aimed purely at the gardening buff so the visitor experience is reflected in the flower varieties and the overall ambience created by the garden architecture. I will be sure to give you my unbiased review and photo samples from the visit. Cheero!