This year I completed two photography projects! For my 365 Project I took one photo every day, of whatever I wanted, for twelve months. But I’ve also had another project in mind for a long time: Take pictures of our garden for one year. And in 2016, I did it!
Once each week, I stood on our deck and took two shots of our tiny—14′ x 48′—garden. I wanted to document the seasons, see which plants bloomed when, how plants grow and then fade away over the course of the year. I also took a few photos each week of the “highlights,” a few specific plants or something remarkable going on in the garden each week.
When I started my project, trees were bare, soil was exposed. The garden beds were empty. Spring came quickly, buds poking their heads from the cold soil, leaves springing from trees, birds returning to nest.
By June I was planting vegetables in our garden beds, tiny apples began to form on our espaliered apple trees, bees everywhere, baby birds finding their way to our birdbath.
As summer warmed, our plants grew and before long our tiny yard filled with shapes and colors and scents.Then came harvest, apples and tomatoes, basil and beans, all made their way from the garden to our table.
And as they did, summer turned to fall, leaves glowed in mind-blowing colors, brisk breezes through our yard, and once or twice, we woke up to a dusting of snow. Slowly, one by one many of our plants disappeared into the earth, and by December 31, it was all as it started one year ago.
By the time this project ended, I’d taken 104 photos of our backyard and several hundred of the various plants, trees and flowers in their glory. Here are a few photos, taken from the porch, to give you an idea of what happens in one garden throughout the year. Our tiny slice of urban heaven.
January 2016
April 2016
July 2016
October 2016
December 2016
It’s all about the journey,
Beth