I like the wild, shaggy look so don't tend to prune or fiddle much after spring, other than to keep the path clear. I do have a problem with the bush salvias getting too woody and sparse inside, so I was a bit brutal this spring and cut some older wood right back. I imagine this helped bush out with new growth.
Thanks @KeenOnGreen it was in fact taken with a smartphone, not a proper camera. If you get close enough to your subject you can just about start to through the background out of focus.
I've tried to do that, but not with such good results as yours. It's the lighting in your photo which is particularly good, I tend to take my photos on bright sunlight. I must try some in more dim conditions, or at dusk.
The trouble with any kind of 'smart' phone or camera, you can't see the screen in bright sunlight so you're shooting blind. I suppose there are cameras where you can switch it off and view your subject in the old fashioned way but I suspect they'd be bulky and expensive
Bright sunlight is the worst! Far too harsh and the phone camera's can't handle the contrast. Dawn and dusk are your friends, as are bright overcast days
Smartphone cameras are amazing, but I do miss the ability to control the depth of field on an SLR camera. I'd hate to carry around a bulky camera though, like most people I haven't gotten use to the portability of the smartphone.
@Fire is that salvia hotlips? On my phone, so all photos are about 2mm large . It looks really healthy, what's your approach to deadheading it? I find it's too fiddly and time consuming to deadhead each flower spire so I just haircut the whole plant every month, but not sure that's the best approach...
Just to add my opinion (!), l find the best thing to do is go over it over once a week and cut back the long flower spikes that are exhausted, and then once a month give it a good check over. It's usually easy to see the new buds coming through lower down. I agree with @Fire, Royal Bumble is one of the best.
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Deschampsia "Goldtau" and Verbena Bonariensis
I agree with @Fire, Royal Bumble is one of the best.