by hankinslawrenceimages | Jul 15, 2013 | Flowers, Papaveraceae Family, Photo of the Month
Bleeding Hearts © 2013 Patty Hankins
Bleeding Hearts are one of the flowers that always make me smile when I see them. Here in the DC area, they bloom in April – adding a wonderful splash of bright color to the local gardens. What I didn’t realize when I started photographing the bleeding hearts was how many people love them as much as I do.
When I’m at shows and people are looking at my photos – they see the bleeding heart photos and start to smile. So often, I hear how their mothers and grandmothers had bleeding hearts in the gardens when they were growing up. And what fun it was to see the heart-shaped flowers in the early spring.
What’s also wonderful is how many people mention that they have bleeding hearts growing in their garden – because it reminds them of their family connections – and because they want their children to have the same wonderful memories about family flowers and gardens that they have.
At a recent show, a newly married couple stopped by my booth and saw my bleeding hearts photo. It turns out they had just planted some in their garden – they had gotten married on Valentine’s Day and wanted to have the heart shaped flowers in their garden to remind them of their wedding. They bought a copy of my photo so they could have the beautiful heart-shaped flowers in their bedroom year round. The smiles on their faces were wonderful to see as I handed them their photo – all ready to take home and display.
I’ve got to admit – I love it when my flower photos bring smiles to peoples faces – especially when they remind people of special places and times in their lives.
Bleeding Hearts is my July 2013 Photo of the month. It is available on my website in two sizes of gallery-wrapped canvases – 10″ X 10″ and 20″ X 20″. Until July 31, SAVE 20% on my Bleeding Hearts photo.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Jun 10, 2013 | Flowers, Liliaceae Family, Photo of the Month
El Nino Tulips © 2013 Patty Hankins
Tulips are one of my favorite flowers. I’ve always loved seeing all the colors and shapes in the gardens when they bloom. And I’m not the only one who loves them – tulips are frequently ranked among the 10 most popular flowers in America.
Tulips are incredibly popular worldwide. They are native to an area ranging from southern Europe to China – primarily in the Middle East. Commercial cultivation of tulips began in the Ottoman Empire. By the late 1500s, tulips were being planted in botanical gardens in Europe. In the early 1600s, tulips were coveted as a luxury good in parts of Europe, where many new varieties were cultivated. In 1636-1637, Tulipmania took hold in the Netherlands – where a newly developed futures market in tulip bulbs caused prices to skyrocket. In early 1637, the market crashed resulting in people holding contracts on tulip bulbs worth far less than they had paid for them. The crash of 1637 didn’t stop the Dutch tulip industry. Today over 9 million tulip bulbs a year are produced in the Netherlands.
In early May, I visited a local garden with a spectacular tulip display. The El Nino tulips were among my favorites this year. I loved all the colors in them – reds, yellows, oranges, pinks – and the fact the no two were the same. As I saw them growing in the garden, I knew that I had to photograph them – and that I’d be presenting the photograph as a panoramic image – highlighting all the wonderful colors in these amazing tulips.
El Nino Tulips is my June 2013 Photo of the month. It is available on my website in two sizes of gallery-wrapped canvases – 8" X 18" and 14" X 30". Until June 30, SAVE 20% on my El Nino Tulips photo.
by hankinslawrenceimages | May 20, 2013 | Flowers, Papaveraceae Family, Photo of the Month
Blue Poppy Center © 2013 Patty Hankins
Blue is one of my favorite colors – whether it’s a wonderful spring blue sky or the water in the Caribbean Sea. It’s such a peaceful calming color. Which is why when I see a blue flower – I just have to photograph it. There aren’t that many truely blue flowers that bloom in the DC area. We have the Virginia Bluebells in the spring, hydrangeas in the summer and some of the asters in the fall.
But in the winter – I know where to go for some of the most amazing blue flowers I’ve ever seen. I just head to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania and their annual display of blue poppies. Native to the Himalayan mountains – Longwood Gardens is one of the few places south of Alaska and Scotland where you can see beds full of blue poppies.
Every year – I try to visit Longwood for the blue poppies. I love seeing the delicate blue petals (sometimes with a hint of purple) and the stunning yellow/orange centers. After several tries, I finally photographed the center of one of the poppies – showing all the shades of blue, purple, yellow and orange. And when I saw the image on my computer – I knew I had to print it!
Blue Poppy Center is my May 2013 Photo of the Month. Until May 30, SAVE 20% off the regular prices for Blue Poppy Center.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Apr 8, 2013 | Photo of the Month 
Saucer Magnolias © 2013 Patty Hankins
When I think about the wonderful day last spring when I photographed this Saucer Magnolia Tree – all I can do is smile. It was one of those perfect spring mornings – clear blue skies — a gentle breeze — birds singing — and beautiful pink & white blossoms. If I close my eyes – I can still smell the fragrance of the flowers and hear the birds.
In many ways spring for me is about all the wonderful colors I’m seeing. Instead of the cold gray skies and bare trees of winter – once spring arrives I’m photographing colors. Whether it’s the bright blue sky, a yellow daffodil, a pink cherry or magnolia blossom, a purple iris, or the pale green of leaves starting to bud, the world is suddenly full of colors which are a very welcome sight after the long winter.
This year the spring is arriving later in the Washington DC area than it has the past few years. Instead of photographing bluebells, trout lilies and cherry blossoms in March, I’ve been photographing the daffodils, hyacinths and pansies. The cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin are expected to peak on April 3-6 (about two weeks later than last year). The trout lilies, bloodroot, spring beauty, dutchman’s breeches and bluebells are just starting to appear. One nice thing is – as they bring their beautiful soft colors to the woods – the tulips will be bringing bolder shades of red, yellow and orange in the local gardens. So there will be a wonderful variety of colors and flowers to photograph in the coming weeks.
Is there a color you associate with the coming of spring? For me – it really is the pinks on the cherry and magnolia trees blooming.
Saucer Magnolias is my April 2013 Photo of the month. Until April 30, SAVE 20% off the regular prices for Saucer Magnolias.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Mar 11, 2013 | Photo of the Month 
Dwarf Irises © 2013 Patty Hankins
Little blue and purple spring-time jewels! That’s how I always view the dwarf irises when they start to bloom in the spring.
It’s not unusual to see daffodils and snowdrops in February in the Washington, DC area. But I never see the dwarf irises until March – which for me – heralds the beginning of spring. The deep rich tones of the irises add a wonderful splash of color to spring gardens. The other colors are the browns of last season’s leave, the pale greens of this year’s plants, and the whites and yellows of the daffodils and snowdrops. I know when I see the little dwarf irises blooming that warmer days, spring wildflowers cherry blossoms and tulips are just a few short weeks away.
As I talk with other photographers and customers at shows, I’ve discovered that we all have little markers that for each of us herald the coming of spring. For bird lovers, it’s the return of a favorite species from it’s winter migration. For sports fans, it’s the day that pitchers and catchers report for spring training. For gardeners, it’s the blooming of a favorite early spring flower. For all of us – these markers are a sign of the changing of the seasons and that warmer days are ahead after the cold of winter.
Is there something that you look for each year that says Spring is coming! to you? If you do, I’d love to hear about it.
Dwarf Irises is my March 2013 Photo of the Month. Until March 31, SAVE 20% off the regular prices for Dwarf Irises.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Feb 13, 2013 | Photo of the Month 
Bleeding Hearts © 2013 Patty Hankins
Bleeding Hearts are one of the flowers that always make me smile when I see them. Here in the DC area, they bloom in April – adding a wonderful splash of bright splash of color to the local gardens. What I didn’t realize when I started photographing the bleeding hearts was how many people love them as much as I do.
When I’m at shows and people are looking at my photos – they see the bleeding heart photos and start to smile. So often, I hear how their mothers and grandmothers had bleeding hearts in the gardens when they growing up. And what fun it was to see the heart shaped flowers in the early spring.
What’s also wonderful is how many people mention that they have bleeding hearts growing in their garden – because it reminds them of their family connections – and because they want their children to have the same wonderful memories about family flowers and gardens that they have.
I’ve heard stories of my great-grandmother’s and grandmother’s gardens. To this day, when I see irises blooming in the spring – I remember the ones that grew in my mother’s garden. So I understand what kind of memories seeing the bleeding hearts bring back to people – and I love it when people buy my bleeding heart photos to help preserve their childhood memories.
Bleeding Hearts is my February 2013 Photo of the month. Until February 28, SAVE 20% off the regular prices for Bleeding Hearts.
| 
