Occasionally I’m asked how I got to be good with plants. There are threes parts to the answer: firstly I started my career in nurseries where the plant range was always changing, secondly I immerse myself in the world of plants and gardens which keeps my knowledge fresh, and thirdly I take far too many pictures.
The Art Of Observation
Observation is the secret to great gardening. It doesn’t matter if you’re out in your garden every day of the year, always make time to observe.
Some of the finest details of a garden are very small
Every time I arrive at a client’s garden I take time to look around. Sure I have a plan for the day, but sometimes that plan is sidelined because something else has come up. I wouldn’t be much of a gardener if I focussed on one little element of the garden each time and failed to see the rest. That process of observation isn’t just about finding something to do though, it’s about taking time to understand the garden. This in turn makes me efficient as I am able to prioritise what the garden really needs.
Observation is about seeing how plants work together, how structure and form guide the garden, how colours can complement each other or cause unsightly clashes, and even how plants grow and behave.
The Art Of Knowledge
There’s a lot to be said for informed choices. Being able to identify a plant, for example, can benefit you and other gardeners too. I’ve become wary of unsolicited plant identification help; I’ve politely approached people apparently keen to identify a plant, only to then have it made abundantly clear that it is woefully inappropriate to offer assistance. The one thing that’s worse than not knowing is having a stranger tell you what something is.
Many gardeners will recognise Christmas box, but fewer will know Sarcococca wallichii
So now keep myself to myself. I took a risk recently and ended up chatting to a lovely couple visiting a local garden from the north of England; we shared our love of trees for 10 minutes and went our separate ways. I don’t know if I’m missing some social cues – I’ve always been better with plants than people – but don’t feel the need to find out.
Knowing and understanding plants and gardens is a good thing, although I’m two and a half decades along my path of learning and have come to understand the sheer vastness of what I will never truly grasp. Treating gardening as a voyage of discovery, as opposed to a never-ending task to try and complete, means that every time you look at plants and gardens (including your own) you’re ready to learn something new.
The Art Of Photography
Take pictures, lots of pictures. You don’t have to be good at photography or have anything beyond the most basic of camera; the process of taking a picture is, in this case, far more important than the end result.
While taking this picture of Caltha palustris I noticed the plant in its pond basket out of the water
There are stages to taking a picture. First something that catches your eye. This can be a whole garden or small scene, a detail, a plant, a colour or colour combination… anything. As you reach for your phone or camera your mind is contemplating what it was that caught your attention.
Secondly, you position yourself for a good photograph. This is the point where you’re interpreting the thing you want to capture. Does the flower look better from this angle or that? If you look from here you get more of this colour than the other. If you hold your camera up high you get to look down on the scene, but if you stoop down your image will be quite different.
Once you’re happy you take the picture. You now have an image, a snapshot of a moment in time and space.
At first glance this is a mess of plants, but the more you look the more detail you see
Too often we look at gardens and plants very passively. Those folks whose garden visits involve a brisk walk along every path before stopping for tea and cake are missing out. A leisurely saunter allows the garden visitor to take in the finer details of the garden, to absorb colour and planting combinations, and appreciate how the garden is brought together.
Taking photographs as part of a process of understanding, as opposed to taking photographs as souvenirs to commemorate the day, encourages us to slow down and look.
The Next Level
I’m a plant nerd. I take too many pictures and probably should restrain myself. I’m not going to.
I like taking pictures. I wouldn’t say I’m all that good at it but I think my photographs are presentable for GardenRant, Substack and social media (Pen And Trowel on Substack, bensbotanics on Instagram). Because taking pictures of plants and gardens is my hobby I store them and label them.
Total geek, right?
FastStone Image Viewer is excellent free image software
I’m not saying for a moment that you should follow my example. It’s good to keep your best photographs from specific gardens or days out in a place where you can refer back to them, and if you have photo library software on your computer then it’s good to label pictures you will want to refer back to. Comprehensive archiving of images is a lot of work, and although I enjoy it I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have a specific interest in doing so.
You can also delete your pictures if you want. It’s the process of taking the picture that engages the mind, not the picture itself. In that moment, in the short amount of time it takes to see and capture something, your mind is taking in far more information than a flat image can ever represent. A photograph can’t the sense of connection between photographer and subject.
This picture doesn’t capture the emotions of watching the sun set, the magnificence of the trees, or the chill in the air
Photographs can’t capture the sense of wonder and joy of seeing something that matters to you. Nothing can ever replace actually being in a garden, or that brief hit of dopamine when you encounter something that brings you joy. Winter is a time when beauty can be harder to find, so anything that encourages us to look must be worthwhile.
What’s the first picture? Epipactis royleana?
Epipactis ‘Catalina’, a hybrid between Epipactis royleana and E. gigantea.
cell phone cameras in our pockets make it so easy to take photographs – many of them from many different angles – a then edit the poorer ones later. And I often suggest trying to keep the main element you wish to capture from being dead center in the image. There’s a better likelihood of a dynamic composition rather than a static one by this tip for those looking to great compelling garden shots
That’s excellent advice. Having a camera in your pocket is very helpful.
Thanks for this, Ben – I take a lot of photos of my outdoor and indoor gardens as well as photos of my interior rooms because they always show me something I’ve missed seeing without the photo, like you noticing the basket out of the pond. It works every time!
The trick of course is to look at the picture while you’re still in a position to sort the problem. So many times I’ve looked at my pictures, spotted something and had to wait over a week to go back and sort the thing out!
Sometimes sun glare or not having your reading glasses out with you while gardening make a great photo unlikely. But when you can quickly take digital images, there’ no hassle to simply delete what’s not worth saving.
I do a monthly video of Gasper Cottage – the process of working out what to put into 5-7mins Always makes me notice the garden properly. Also good to review which bits of the garden i never seem to feature – maybe time for renovation!!
This is an excellent article! I used to specialize in garden photography and worked with numerous magazines and book publishers in the 90s. Photography was also of immeasurable benefit to my garden center business, which I had for over 35 years. The most challenging aspect to teach in photography is understanding the qualities of light, which can make or break a photograph
Can you tell us how the photography was helpful to the garden center business?
You bet! It was two-fold. One way was to photograph my own garden which was filled with Tennessee native plants, which weveete trying to promote at the time, and I would then make super high-quality portfolios to show customers. The second way was my photography appearing in many of the magazines that my customers were reading. They would often come in with the magazine in hand and want to see the plants I had photographed or mentioned in my article.
Sorry about the typo!
This is a little off topic, but if you really want to notice detail in a flower then get out a pencil and paper and draw it! It’s also a good way to record first impressions without getting lost in the weeds (pun intended). Happy picture taking – however you choose to do it!
Photographs, taken obsessively by me, make a great record and reference of the garden, day by day, season on season.
And also, our lives, since I don’t seem to stop when I leave home.
Google Photos gets better and better at finding the ones I want from the thousands I have – and AI will no doubt help that along. (Don’t tell those other ranters complaining about AI…..)
I also take pics to remind me what needs doing.
And most of all: what is looking truly beautiful.
Our phone cameras are amazing!!!!
Anne, I couldn’t agree more! I used to keep a diary of what’s blooming in the garden or what I’ve planted, along with any other details. Now I document almost daily with my iPhone. Keywording photos helps me find things instantly.
So useful!
I’ve been looking at photographs I made 30 yrs ago of Roses I had forgotten. Now that I’m asked to recommend antique roses I know what they looked like in my own garden, and it’s a pleasure to recollect one’s own adventures in the garden.
Hey! I also use fast stone for photo organizing and editing but if there’s a way to label photos, I haven’t found it. I want to be able to find like all the great hydrangea photos in my collection because I’ve labeled with that word.
So how are you labeling?
I agree with everything you said, Ben. My writing in my own garden blog, and the photos I post are inseparably linked to how I garden and what I observe there!