For several days, including Christmas Day, the Skys have been full of dark rain clouds. Only seldom is there a break. The man made structures in the garden often begin to glow when there is a break in the clouds. Sometimes their entire contents are visible.
Gardeners begin packing for the Winter.
The gardeners are just starting to clear out the gardens, some are packing their tools and collecting the sticks, strings, ropes and plastic covers hey used during the summer growth. Things will soon change completely.
Chicken Coop Number 4
On what appears to be some form of government land there are a series of old chicken coops, over the past three years they have become more and more overgrown. A nearby house, also abandoned, was perhaps a caretakers house not too long ago. Now there is some farming, but the roads are all gated now. Three hundred feet or so away is the Pacific Ocean, this is right where the Fraser River flows into the Pacific. According to maps this land was under water 100 years ago, then a dike was built and a landing for boats.
Gardens and Greenhouses
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Winter morning in the garden.
Winter in the Garden
I arrived this morning at the gardens just as sunrise was taking place. Even two days after the heavy snowfall there was only a single set of human footprints and a few tracks of animals. No one seems to want to be out. Two large pheasants flew out of the garden. Hearing my footsteps on the crusted snow large black crows, a stark contrast to the white/grey snow and sky, flew away, took a look, found me harmless and returned in a flutter. The garden’s buildings, a set of semi-temporary structures which are my main interest are now seen in outline form. Colours muted, stature diminished. In my mind are images from the New Topographics movement, thinking how few were of winter…if any, and images from the Dusseldorf School which had photographers much more focused on landscapes, and you are more likely to see a winter image. I stayed as long as I could feel my toes. ©jim roche, all rights reserved.
The garden has grown out of control.
From my series: Winter Gardens
This is from a series about gardener’s preparing for the winter season, mostly images of greenhouses. Greenhouses are special places, they need to connect directly with the outside world and their structure is always fragile one way or another.
The garden at this moment.
A set of images from a local garden focused on the battle between human’s, imposing structure, and nature, that grows wildly yet relies on a hidden structure.
Read moreThe Garden.
In the garden, at the end of the growing season.