Ever thought about how to capture frost-covered holly, close-ups of pretty petals or swathes of woodland bulbs in fading light?

If you’ve not had much success taking good pictures of your plants, eminent flower and plant photographer Clive Nichols offers useful pointers on how to create pictures to frame proudly rather than instantly delete.

“Give yourself the best possible chance of success and select somewhere photogenic. The garden of a National Trust or English Heritage property would be a good place to start, or a well-maintained public or privately-owned garden,” says Nichols, who runs online courses on the subject.

“If you’re lucky enough to have a wonderful garden of your own, start there.”

The National Gardens Scheme has thousands of gardens open to the public, so visit and chat to the owners. They may well allow you to take photographs.

But take note of the weather, he advises: “Unless you want shots with subject movement, you should ideally shoot on a day when there’s little wind. I use sites like BBC Weather to check on wind speeds and when they drop below 5mph that triggers me to go out and take pictures.”

One of the major mistakes amateurs make is to shoot in bright sunlight.

“Although your brain is saying, ‘Wow, this garden looks amazing’, your pictures will probably be disappointing because of dark shadows and bright, burnt-out highlights.

“Put simply, your pictures will probably be too contrasty. Shooting on overcast days with a bit of sunshine pushing through the clouds will yield better results, as the soft, diffused light allows you to capture the subtle colour and texture of flowers and plants.

“Choosing the right time of day is also important. “You can get good shots in the middle of the day, but I prefer to shoot with early morning or late afternoon light, when the sunlight is raking across gardens, throwing shadows which add three-dimensionality and depth to your photos.

“I like to shoot towards the sun when it’s low in the sky, so your subject is lit from behind, which adds beauty and sparkle to flowers and foliage.”

For garden scenes, look for interesting features such as statues, topiary, fountains or sundials and shoot along pathways to lead the viewers’ eyes into the photo.

Open Gardens -

Friday, February 27 to Thursday, March 5, 2015.
Lacock, NGS Open Gardens: National Trust 01249 730459 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock. Three miles south of Chippenham off the A350. Follow National Trust signs. Use public car park just outside Abbey. 
Admisson costs £5.50, child £2.75. For opening times and information, please phone or see garden website. 
Woodland garden with carpets of aconites, snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils. Botanic garden with greenhouse, mediaeval cloisters and magnificent trees. 
Mostly level site, some gravel paths. 
There is wheelchair access and dogs are allowed, as are coaches and coach groups.
Plants are for sale on site.

This week's jobs -

 In the greenhouse, prick out seedlings and space them in bigger trays when they are big enough to transplant.
Sow broad beans in pots under glass for planting out later.
Place cloches over vegetable patches to warm the soil before planting.
Plant new roses before spring.
Plant new bare-rooted hedging plants from specialists for large areas.
Continue planting new trees and shrubs.
Dig up and store remaining parsnips in dry sand.
Lift and divide established clumps of rhubarb which need rejuvenating.
Prune summer-flowering shrubs.
Keep topping up bird feeders and baths.