Video tour of our front garden (March 2, 2025)
When I took photos of our front yard for my last post, Photo tour of our front garden (March 2, 2025), I realized that a video would be far more effective at capturing the big picture: the layout of the garden, and the plants in their overall context. Here’s the result, 7 minutes and 31 seconds in glorious high definition:
Be sure to watch the video on YouTube and select the highest resolution your bandwidth allows. I recommend at least 1080p; 1440p or 2160p would be even better for the best video quality.
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Before or after watching the video, check out my post Photo tour of our front garden (March 2, 2025). It contains photos of plants I wasn’t able to focus on in the video, otherwise it would have been twice as long.
And finally a few notes:
This was my first time using a gimbal. The result is good – smoother panning than I would be able to do hand-holding my phone – but there’s still a bit of unevenness here and there. Also, excuse the wind noise. I just bought a lapel microphone with a windscreen so it won’t happen again.
Talking while filming doesn’t come naturally to me. My commentary isn’t the smoothest and I get at least one plant ID wrong (it should be Grevillea lavandulacea ‘Tanunda’), but I will improve with practice. If nothing else, this experience has given me newfound respect for the content creators I follow on YouTube, ranging from Joey Santore (Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t) and Summer Rayne Oakes (Plant One On Me), Hunter Martinez (Cactus Quest) and Michael Garbutt (Arid Zine) to Laura Eubanks (Design for Serenity) and Debra Lee Baldwin. They make it look and sound so effortless!
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You did a great job, Gerhard. I don't have the patience to do videos, and I've never liked hearing my own voice but I thought your commentary was very smooth (although the wind noise did unnerve my cat!). One of the things that struck me during this overview was the stark contrast between your garden and what I could see of the front gardens of your neighbors. I'm surprised that they aren't emulating your approach to gardening. Do any ask you for advice?
ReplyDeleteA lot of people walking by say how much they like our garden. There are some OK gardens in our neighborhood, but nothing as over the top as ours.
DeleteGerhard. the video really gets at the flow you've achieved and how you balance shapes and sizes, sharp with softer shapes. For a collector, that's a very impressive achievement!
ReplyDeleteI want to write a piece of collectors gardens soon. You're right, it's not easy to work a collection of plants into a garden vs. simply displaying them in a greenhouse. Pairing similar shapes and colors definitely helps.
DeleteThanks for that video tour! I increased the quality, and wow--I feel like I'm there! I needed this today since we're having a couple more days of winter before warmer weather (50s and 60s) in the days ahead. Yay. Anyway...wow, you have an amazing collection of plants...which I guess I knew, but seeing the "big picture" as you mention, provides a more impressive view of your plants and your place. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I was able to send spring vibes your way!
DeleteI really liked the video, and I thought you did great. You didn't make me seasick when you were panning, my number one complaint with videos! They do make it seem effortless, but they also have someone else shooting which has to help a bit? Adding the plant id was super, and I wondered how you did it. I can't believe how long that side garden is - I had no idea! I'm absolutely champing at the bit to get a yard or 2 of d.g. to refresh the pathways, you timed it so well during a dry period.
ReplyDeletePanning is a lot smoother with a gimbal. I got a cheap one, under $75, and it seems to help a lot.
DeleteI agree, having somebody do the filming allows you to focus on what you want to say instead of worrying about moving the camera.
I added the plant IDs in Adobe Premiere Rush. It's free and works well for what I need it to do. https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere-rush.html
This was wonderful. Your garden is a delight. It has a nice flow and cohesiveness when seen as a whole. It would be the highlight of my walk if I lived in your neighborhood. I'm curious, how do you get the pots to stay on top of your fence? did you build platforms that just aren't visible?
ReplyDeleteI noticed the tell-tale sign of a long time Costco member! I also have that great little cast bistro set. They must have sold millions of them. (I kind of watch for them, They are everywhere)
Thank you so much for your kind words!
DeleteThe pots just since on top of the fence rail. No special platform. Only one has ever fallen off, and that was a small pot with a top heavy opuntia.
I had forgotten we got our bistro set from Costco! That must have been 15 years ago. Good eyes!
Absolutely stunning, Gerhard! I looked at the photos earlier, and the video just now: it's truly breathtaking. The Ponytail palm bed (those trunks!!) is always a huge favorite on mine. I remember when the mariachi players were grouped there together. They are just as charming when spread around the garden, adding their whimsical rusty goodness to the rusty corten planters. The remodeled fence area turned out wonderful; I love the added planters hanging on the fence at eye level. Leucadendron 'Ebony' makes a most elegant backdrop to the blue tones below: I love that vignette. Lastly, Aloe tangerine: I love it for the blue hue of its leafs, as well as the saturated color of the blooms.
ReplyDeleteWas the back garden not included in the open house?
Chavli
Chavli, thank you so much for your wonderful comment! The backyard isn't ready for prime time yet, but I did show it to a few people :-)
DeleteExcellent garden, excellent video. You done good on both. Did you film that with your phone?
ReplyDeleteYes, I used my phone and a cheapo smartphone gimbal.
DeleteWell done Gerhard ! Your garden is looking fantastic. All those Aloes !
ReplyDelete