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Wildstem

Red Among Leaves

Deep red and magenta dahlias between two kinds of leaf, beside a poppy among thin stems: how much green a red flower needs.

Two paired studies

Study A

Deep red and magenta dahlias grow among broad green leaves.
Study A. Deep red and magenta dahlias with dark foliage in front and broad green leaves behind.

Study B

A red poppy blooms among blue cornflowers and tall green stems.
Study B. A red poppy on hairy stems among narrow leaves and cornflowers.

Observations

Plant names are given only where the photograph makes them clear.
Plant or featureSeen inWhat to look at
Dahlias, deep red and magentaStudy ASeveral flowers open at once, with buds and one faded head.
Dark leavesStudy ABronze-purple foliage close to the flowers.
Broad green leavesStudy APale, wide leaves fill the background.
Poppy, redStudy BOne large flower among narrow leaves and thin stems.

What the pair shows

Study A has two greens. Broad pale leaves fill the back of the frame, and dark bronze-purple foliage sits close to the flowers. Between the two, the reds and magentas read as a crowd.

Study B has only narrow green: stems and thin leaves, broken up by blue cornflowers. There is almost no leaf surface for the red to sit against, and the poppy holds the frame by size alone.

Tagged

Filed in the same band

Other studies in In flower
PhotographStudyBandFiled
Two Poppies, Two EdgesA coral-red poppy with pale edges among seed pods, and a red poppy among blue cornflowers: where each flower’s outline comes from.In flower
One Flower, One HillsideA large red poppy among cornflowers, set beside a slope where no single flower can be picked out.In flower