When I lived on the north side of Charlotte, I used to go to the gardens on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, or UNCC. Here, no matter what the season, I’d find a variety of plants to photograph, either outside, or inside the greenhouse. Both venues were free to visit at any time.
Since I moved to the south side of town, some 30+ miles away, I’ve looked for an acceptable substitute, but have found none. Sure, there are a couple of gardens, such as Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, which charges a $12 entry fee, or you can get a fairly inexpensive yearly pass, but it has such a different feel. Also, DSBG is only open from 9 A.M. – 5 P.M., 7 days a week, hardly accommodating the early morning photographer who likes to get there when the light is good. There are also a couple of other smaller gardens, all have entry fees, and all are open limited hours.
The major pleasure about the UNCC gardens was that it is open all the time, so weather permitting, I could go at any time of day or night. Also, I never knew what I would find, as the gardner liked to change things up a bit. It was sort of like walking through someone’s backyard. There were always few people there, too. Usually, other than the occasional student walking by on the road, I had the garden to myself, so I could sit, contemplate, experiment, and think about shots, or not.
DSBG gets lots of visitors, so there’s always someone roaming around and people tend to like to stop, talk, and ask what you are photographing. It kind of destroys the moment. 
Anyway, looks like I’ll have to make a journey to the other side of town, soon, as I am really missing the garden. I looked to see if, perhaps, there were some small colleges that had gardens, but no luck. The next nearest is Clemson, some 2 hours away, in South Carolina.
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How do you live now? If you have a backyard, you should make something out of it. I think a Japanese garden (well, a miniature, at least) would be great for you. It takes years, but you seem to have grown the right mindset for this sort of commitment. No matter what, you will have to cross that town of yours. There. Go go.
Ove recently posted..055
Hey, Ove. I live in an apartment now, so no opportunity for a garden, but I sure like to visit established ones. I’ve thought, many times in the past, about starting a garden, but don’t know if I would have the patience to tend to it, honestly.
So, yes, it looks like I will have to make a trip to the other side of town to spend some hours in my favorite garden. It’s much cheaper than starting my own.
Paul recently posted..Missing the garden
Yep, looks like a road trip is on the to-do-list. I really like the cone image. Yea!
As a matter of fact, I might do that on Sunday, Mr. Stevens!
The closest botanical gardens around here are about an hour and a half away. I would probably visit them more often if they were closer for sure. I really like both of these images, and serve to remind me just how much there is to go photograph if I just get my butt in gear.
Mark recently posted..So many megapixels ago
Mark. Funny that you’d say something about getting your butt in gear. I thought the same thing this morning when I was at your blog, looking at all of those wonderful photos that you have displayed: I was thinking: Damn! Mark always shows up. I’ve been slacking! I need to get my butt in gear. Seriously!
Oh…am I allowed to brag a bit? I’m working roughly 20 meters away from Gothenburg’s Botanical Garden, which is open to us all year around. 2 Euro voluntary admission, 175 hectares (430 acres), of which most constitutes a nature reserve including an arboretum. In total around 16,000 different plant species…
So, I can perfectly understand that you miss “your” garden – would be exactly the same for me if I had to move.
Thomas recently posted..The end of the world… and a new toy.
Well, Thomas: I’d say that this deserves bragging rights! I think that if I worked that close to such a large garden, I’d be there most every weekend! I do live close to a nature reserve, about 8 K down the road, but they don’t have any flowering plants, just lots of trees, water, and underbrush. I think that I’ll wake up early tomorrow morning and head to the garden for a few hours.
I am all for letting someone else do the gardening so you can concentrate on your camera. What a treat just looking forward to your visit to the garden.
Anita Jesse recently posted..Hanging Pictures
We use to go to the Landscape Arboretum in Minnesota when we loved there and that was my favorite place to shoot. It was a 50 mile drive so we were limited to weekends and many of the trails were closed during the winter, but it was well worth the effort. Now I stick to public parks and areas that don’t require membership. There is a small arboretum in out town that is free to the public that is always a nice visit. Good photos are where you find them.
Ken Bello recently posted..The QUAD