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Chris Fedderson — MacroFine Musings In Coleus-beration with: Kathy Lawler — Guest Blogger ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In our college days no dorm room or apartment was complete without one or more potted specimens of: Boston Fern, Schefflera, Spider Plant, and, of course, Coleus. Back then our collective taste in houseplants was about on a par with our taste in beer; we’d happily drink brands now consider un-palatable, and we’d keep our houseplants no matter how raggedy, misshapen, or bug-ridden they were. We’ve all come a long way since then, and so has our friend, Coleus. Having recently re-ignited an appreciation in all things gardening, there was still one plant we just couldn’t wrap our heads around wanting in our yard. It was Coleus. It wasn’t until we built our Uber-Fun Yard Pots that we had a reason to even explore Coleus.  Coleus in a yard setting Back then, it seemed Coleus had just one look: “normal” leaves, green with a dab of color in the middle, and trailing stems. Now, OMGoodness! There are now about a billion new cultivars of Coleus. Curly leaves. Small leaves. Big leaves. Purple. Red. Maroon. Yellow. Some leaves don’t even have any green at all! We’ve got stand-up varieties. Trailing ones. Shade-preferring and full-sun-tolerant choices. Seems there are now Coleus varieties available to satisfy any, and every, gardening need — indoors and out. We had great luck growing them last year, so this season we added several more varieties. We purchased Burgundy Wedding Train, Electric Coral, El Brighto, and several more they are doing really well.  Purple Coleus in a yard setting The variety and color of this annual wins big for us! We love the constant color of the foliage and what they bring to a yard — you don’t have to wait for blooms to have color. Another interesting think about Coleus is that depending on the conditions they are grown in — perhaps the soil or the sunlight vs. shade, or maybe the day/night temperature — their colors change making them all the more enjoyable.  How 'bout that curly leaf of Coleus?! One thing about Coleus that hasn’t changed though, is its ability to grow from cuttings. We’ve rooted them in a glass of water and we’ve rooted them by simply sticking new cuttings into consistently moist potting soil. Planting them directly in soil has won for us, but you have to be able to bear that they will look horrible for a week or two after doing this. They look like they are going to die any minute but then one day — they perk up and start going crazy.
To root in soil, you need cut off stalks 2-3 inches longer than you want to have protruding out of the soil. Choose stalks where you have leaves at the bottom that you can cut off so the node will be the source of your new roots. Poke a hole in the dirt (I use a nail, a huge 40d one) and then gently insert the stem and carefully and pack soil around it. Using cuttings is a great way to experiment with pairing up different looks in the same pot. Try a stand-up variety like Eruption with a trailing type such as Trailing Green Olives. Or mix a bunch of them in a planter. Or mix a bunch of them with several other different species. Coleus with Fountain Grass, Sweet Potato Vine, and Variegated Trailing Viola, perhaps. The possibilities are wide open! So, go through your old yearbooks. Look up your old friend, Coleus. Invite Coleus into your home for a visit. You’ll be happily surprised with what you discover! Thank You for visiting, — Chris and Kathy P.s. What unusual pairings have you tried in either your yard in your houseplants? Do you have a favorite combination? Let’s share stories and try each other’s combos!
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Chris Fedderson — MacroFine Musings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Do I ever have a photo challenge for you! Bubbles! I recently experimented with trying to photograph bubbles. Not the kind found in champagne or beer, although that might be fun too, but the kind you used to have so much fun blowing, watching, and chasing as a kid.  Life Is Bubble-icious! An interesting thing about the experiment was that it presented about every possible photographic challenge you could think of:
 . . . And Bubble-icious-er!! For me, this was actually an experiment in seeing what my new camera would do on some of the automatic settings. I rarely use them but it is always good to know what your camera does when left to its own devises; for that moment when a hummingbird flies up and you don’t have time to do much in the way controlling your settings.
You also don’t want your camera's settings to ruin a great opportunity, so you should learn what can happen. For example, while on auto, the ISO on my camera sometimes went to some ridiculous number and if I had captured something good, I likely wouldn’t be able to print it due to the noise/grain in the image. One caution: this is a messy, messy challenge — you’re going to get soap everywhere, so don’t try this challenge indoors! Also, you’ll need an assistant — someone to blow the bubbles — and to clean up afterward! Thank You for visiting, — Chris P.s. So how did your bubbles turn out? I'd love to hear about your experience. Chris Fedderson — MacroFine Musings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the best month to see Life Aquatic in bloom. If you haven’t been to our local Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens – now is the time to go. This is one of the nicest parks we have in the DC metro area – and we have a lot of parks. Kenilworth National Park is our only National Park dedicated to aquatic plant and animal life. The best time of day to go to Kenilworth is in the morning (open 9am to 5pm). I know, I know, I hate mornings too, but this is really worth it! And coming up is the Lotus and Water Lily Festival on July 16th. You can see a spectacular display of lotus and water lilies in full bloom and there are lots of activities at the park.  Pink Pandemonium The park is 700 acres and is on the south side of the Anacostia River across from the National Arboretum. Unfortunately, you can’t go from park to park even though it’s just a stone's throw away – well more like a stone’s swim. There is so much to see at Kenilworth Gardens… We’ve found frogs, turtles, fish, snakes, butterflies, dragonflies, praying mantis, beautiful spiders (yes, spiders!), bald eagles, egrets, herons, and more; and that’s all in addition to the beautiful lilies, lotus, hibiscus, clematis, and others!  Candle Power If birds are your thing, you’ll be in good company. There is a marshland and a boardwalk to explore. There are lots of different bird species, so be sure to pack your binoculars, and a lo-o-o-o-o-ong lens for your camera! And bring water… it’s hot this time of year.  Kenilworth bird-life is varied and plentiful! Don’t like the bugs and heat or you just can’t make it to Kenilworth? I have good news for you. You can still see plenty of great flowers, lily pads, and dragonflies at the Associate Artists' Gallery at the Workhouse Art Center in Lorton, VA. Wait … what? Luckily, I have chosen July to feature Life Aquatic with my current offerings on display in Building 9. Come, take a look at my photo of Giant Lily Pads (Victoria amazonica), up-close Lotus and Lily images, colorful lily pads, and dragonflies.
Thank You for visiting, — Chris P.s. What is your favorite aquatic-themed subject? Is it fishes? flowers? fowl? Where do you go to see your favorites? Let's share... maybe we'll discover a great place we hadn't known about. How fun! Chris Fedderson — MacroFine Musings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I recently visited my favorite local photography store, Ace Photo. They were having a special event that brought together a number of major camera and lens manufactures for a mini-trade show. I wanted to upgrade some current functionality through either a new lens or possible a new camera system all-together. I’d done a lot of online research but there is nothing like going in-person to see, feel, hold the camera, and to speak to an expert. I could explore Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Tamron, Sigma, and more. I was able to talk with all these experts about the features, capabilities, and compatibilities of their systems. We spend so much time shopping online for what we believe to be the best value, we forget that the most important value may be in exploring all the options in person. In addition to the satisfaction you’ll gain from your purchase, you will likely save money in the long run at your brick and mortar because you’ll get the best choice for you — without having to ‘purchase’ a lot of trial and error. I did get a new set-up, and one that is fully compatible with my existing equipment! So guess who the winner is — besides me . . .  Olympus mirror-less OM-D E-M5-Mark II with a 60mm Macro Lens I wasn’t unhappy with my current set-up, in fact I really like my current Olympus camera, its features, and the great lenses. But I did want to explore some other options that I didn’t think were offered by Olympus. Turns out they had more functionality available on their new cameras/lenses than I’d realized. WooHoo! When choosing a new camera, there are a number of things you’ll want to consider before you get to an event so you can focus on what’s right for you. New equipment is really fun and exciting but can be daunting, so be sure to consider the following:
 The fully articulated LCD monitor on the E-M5
 The Olympus E-M5 with the adapter to allow a Four Thirds lens to work on a Micro Four Thirds camera body
There is a lot to think about and learn before you can snap that first great shot with your new set-up. Do your research. Talk to people in-the-know. Visit a trade show or an event like this one we attended at Ace Photo. This event was amazing. It was small and very ‘do-able’. Service was great. Information was plentiful and readily accessible. And, we really enjoyed purchasing from, and supporting, a local store. Thank You for visiting, — Chris P.s. How do you do your research? Do you know of any trade shows or other events coming up that others would find beneficial? Share your thoughts in the comments so we can all make better informed choices! |
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About Chris
I am a Virginia-based photographer and gather my images while hiking in parks and natural areas here at home and in the locations I travel to. I also love to visit arboretums and botanic gardens to find unusual and exotic subjects. Archives
March 2017
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