Wild.
Tame.
Colorful.
Exotic.
What is it with our love affair with flowers?
Perhaps it's that no two really seem to be alike
(like snowflakes and humans), or it's the fact
they wear colors that excite the eyes and
release fragrant smells that delight the nostrils.
Monet said, "I must have flowers...always, always..."
He poured so much into not only
his paintings, but his gardens that inspired those
pieces of art still admired today.
We grow them.
Give them.
Paint them.
Photograph them.
It's an industry in itself.
It's estimated nearly $2 billion is spent yearly
on flowers for Valentine's Day alone!
The floral industry in the USA was
$32.085 BILLION in 2011.
A fact that shocked me at first.
After some thought, I decided to think about all the
gardens, nurseries, landscape businesses, etc.
just in my area where I live. There are so many!
Of course we love flowers and beautiful
things in our yards, on vases on our tables...
it just makes sense the industry is that huge in the
USA, even in a poor economy.
I've been blessed to live close to the Missouri Botanical Gardens,
and see other spots that have such beauty like the
Biltmore Gardens in North Carolina. I find flowers, trees, shrubs, etc
to be calming, beautiful, and very photogenic...
I must add, not one flower I have photographed
has seen themself in a photo and asked me to
delete it. The fact they can't argue with how
I photograph them - that's a bonus!
June 2013. Please do not copy without permission!
Contact me if you'd like any of these images on canvas, framed/unframed prints, aluminum, notecards, or more!
