

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 22, 2024
This iris was holding its own on the steep bank of the Ashley River. It’s not part of a cultivated space and likely was an escapee bulb from a nearby garden cleanout project.

The afternoon sun lit the flowers as they danced in the light breeze.

The bigger bloom made a nice subject for isolation on black.

A different take, highlighting the water a bit:

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 21, 2024
I’ve recently revisited two of the Tung Oil Trees I know of at Magnolia Plantation. The trees themselves didn’t look so healthy and not as full of blossoms as previous years. The blooms are pretty spectacular.




Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 17 and 21, 2024
We’ve just passed the Winter Solstice, when the length of daylight here in South Carolina had just dipped below ten hours. I’m always happy when we make that turn, now adding less than a minute a day, but I’ll take it. I spotted these flowers over the weekend, boldly responding to their daylight requirements.



December 24, 2023
From a distance I thought these white blossoms were dogwood.

As much as I like dogwood, I was happily surprised as I got closer to find that it was a Tung Oil tree.

How could you not love these gorgeous blossoms? Although some of the shine came off when I discovered it is non-native and invasive in the gulf coast states where it was grown as a cash crop in the early 1900s.

These blossoms will produce fruits with seeds that are the source of tung oil (tungoil). The oil is used for manufacturing varnishes and paints, and as a waterproofing agent for linoleum and oilcloth. Unfortunately, all parts of the plant are toxic to livestock and humans.

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 12, 2023
Another iconic image at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, this time the Long White Bridge.

Many of the azaleas around this section of the pond were removed or cut way back last year changing the options for getting reflection images.

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 5, 2023