This past December was very mild; blooms on four of my roses helped usher in 2016. However by early January, winter temperatures and snow arrived. On 12 January 2016, after photographing some of my snow-covered roses, I came inside in time to catch Tony Bennett singing—’Beneath the deepest snows/The secret of a rose/Is merely that it knows/You must believe in spring’.
Visually, spring moves from a one-color world into one of many colors, shades, and textures. The development of colored botanical prints, by the mid 18th C, extended the blooming time allowing people to both appreciate and study many flora. A number of years ago I was fortunate to find and purchase a collection of Philip Miller’s colored botanical illustrations (London, 1757). Each month I display six of this collection on my living room wall. My simple method of keeping some spring energy alive all year.
While savoring my Miller prints, I realised that this year was the 20th anniversary of my efforts to experience and capture some of the fascination of spring. Over eight weeks, I traveled to many gardens and photographed tulips, daffodils, sakura, magnolia, lilac, rhododendron, bearded irises, and roses. The following images convey some of the splendor.
Entering the autumn of one’s life, one begins to understand more why you must believe in spring.