2010 Photo Contest Winners

She received a $250 gift certificate for this stunning photo.

Doris Fisher grew this 'Salmon Star' Oriental lily in her perennial garden, in an area she reserves for cut flowers. She planted the lilies with Delphiniums, Rudbeckia, and other flowers she grows especially for bouquets.

"The color contrasts are very striking in the garden and also make pretty arrangements for inside the house." she notes. "This Salmon Star is one of my favorites."

When Monte Loomis heard about the photo contest, he knew just what he wanted to photograph: His seven-year-old daughter in his wildflower meadow.

"We purchased a new home a year ago and the photo is of our backyard. It has been a dream of mine to have a field of wildflowers that I could look at everyday," says Monte. His daughter was thrilled to watch all the butterflies these first-year annual flowers attracted. "We can't wait for next year to see all of the perennials."

Mark Corder and his wife are avid birdwatchers, and have traveled across the globe pursuing their hobby. (So far he's spied 2115 bird species worldwide, 432 in Kansas alone.) During a trip to Torres Del Paine, Patagonia, South America, Mark was struck by the colors of these lupines and took this photo.

In addition to birdwatching, Mark and his wife enjoy gardening and grow lots of vegetables. They also grow perennials, bulbs, "and lots of annuals for cut flowers during the season to bring into the house and to take to church," he adds.

Although his yard is landscaped primarily with perennials and landscape grasses, Phil Luebke wanted a section of wildflowers so he sowed the area under a grove of locust trees with a part-shade mix. He sowed the seeds last fall after a heavy frost, and then over-seeded the area early this spring when the ground was honeycombed with a heavy frost. His sister Heather composed and took this photo for the photo contest.

Bill Earley took this photo to show his work colleagues the flowers blooming in the wildflower meadow he planted in his backyard in Marshfield, MA. A week later, Bill heard about our photo contest and decided to submit it.

An avid gardener, Bill also grows annuals, perennials, bulbs, and roses. "As a result of the beautiful wildflowers this year, I purchased more of your wildflower mix and expanded the garden," he said.

Joseph Fronsee inherited his love of flower gardening from his mother and grandfather, and it certainly shows in this photo of his front yard in North Carolina. He has a special fondness for colorful tulips and has traveled to Holland and Ottawa to see their annual tulip displays.

"I am 63 and have been gardening flowers all my life," Joseph says. "Gardening keeps me active and happy. I love sharing bouquets of flowers and family and friends."

Lynn Plata took advantage of the low-maintenance nature of wildflowers when she planted them at her weekend getaway -- an old farm in upstate New York.

"I planted these cosmos seeds early last spring and took this photo one August morning. The golden colors reflected the early morning sun so perfectly, I couldn't pass by without a photo," she explains. Lynn also grows fruits and vegetables, but she has a special affinity for flowers. "I think they're a special chapter in nature's magic book." We think so too."

Jennifer Temple Lewis planted this echinacea about four years ago; the nasturtiums she sowed from spring this year. Jennifer loves flowers, and she likes to photograph them so she can enjoy them long after the blooms have faded.

"Every spring I can't wait for all the new flowers to pop out of the ground. How wonderful to know that every year you have such beauty to look forward to in your garden," she adds.