My Siberian irises didn't bloom well two years ago. Lizard and I dug them up in the fall and separated them a bit, hoping a little extra space might encourage flowering. We dug up all the other irises, too, and spread them out a bit more.
Last year none of my irises were very showy. I guess that's what happens the first year after you move bulbs around. Last year, I thought I'd ruined most of my irises. I've since learned they may be separated after blooming so the bulbs can rebuild until fall.
This year, my irises were magnificent after a whole year of bulb growth! Especially the Siberian irises!!! I had at least two or three a day every single day for about two weeks. I was in heaven!
The Siberica Strawberry Fair Iris is the most beautiful of my collection. I wish these babies could bloom all year!
I thought it might be fun to try another time lapse movie, this time, instead of a sunrise or sunset, I'd shoot one of my cut irises in a vase as the flower opened.
First tries sometimes produce significant fails. I didn't realize my Siberian irises take three days to open! I was shooting the blossom every hour I was awake the entire weekend. The flower bloomed while I was at work on Monday. Darn it!
Music is by Peter Hollens.
By this time, the chicory were blooming. Blossoms last only a day. I thought this might be the perfect experiment. I could correct one of the problems I had with the iris. I didn't realize flowers in a vase move and shift weight as they open. The following weekend, I cut a sprig of chicory and shot frames about every five minutes until the main blossom was fully open. I also adjusted the tripod and flash as necessary to keep the flower in the center of the frame and well lit.
Music is by Klaus Badelt from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Success!!! And with another gorgeous flower!!!
The next weekend, I tried again, this time with Cupid's Darts. I framed the shot so I (hopefully) wouldn't have to move the tripod or the strobe. I set the timer on my iPhone and fired photos with my D300 every minute for two and a half hours. I thumbed through about 18 old quilting magazines as the flower bloomed. Perfect way to stay awake while I photographed!
I do have a shutter release for the Nikon, and I should be able to set the camera up to fire by itself, but I haven't tried using the cable yet, and I'd rather experiment with it after I learn how to use it.
Music is by Lindsey Stirling.
Eureka! Blue Gold! I'm getting the hang of this!
These are so beautiful and fun! A great way to start an otherwise grey day.
ReplyDeleteEvery hour is dedication haha Darn that crummy 9-5 getting in the way. Sure bloomed away indeed at your feed.
ReplyDeleteIt's just magical to see these amazing blossoms open up! Thank you for sharing the results with us.
ReplyDeleteSo glad your irises bounced back. Ours didn't do well this year - they got taken over by Snow on the Mountain which, despite its lovely name and pleasant appearance, is horribly invasive. I need to dig it out whenever the skeeters die off enough that I can do it without getting eaten alive. :/