To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower
William Blake, Auguries of Innocence
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that ‘small is beautiful’. Also, how much of that beauty can be found very close to home. There may be a whole wide world out there, but that world begins as soon as we step out of our own back (or front) door.
For the Lens Artists challenge this week Egidio invites us to practice being ‘stuck in place’. By this he means that we should see what photos we can create while remaining in a very small area, moving just ten to fifteen steps in any direction to capture new images. I realised that from our back door to the end of our small urban patio garden is only nine steps. So I decided to take my camera out there and see what I could capture.
We’re in that in-between season, the spring flowers faded and the summer ones only just starting to come into their own. But I found plenty to focus on, as I hope you will see. And I’ve exercised considerable restraint (for me) and gone only very slightly over Egidio’s five image limit!
Disclaimer: the credit for any beauty to be found in our garden goes to my husband, not me – I simply capture it!
All images were taken on my Panasonic Lumix bridge camera, and edited in Photoshop Elements and Nik Color Efex Pro
Hydrangea in bud
Fern detail
Ivy growing through the back fence
Love-in-a-Mist / Nigella
Begonia
Dead Photinia flowers against the sky
I visited Sri Lanka in February 2026
41 Comments
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
Macro photos are are great for this challenge, Small details can be so beautiful as you show us
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Ritva 😊
Leya
I could not comment because your site was under some ? Again then – lovely garden and my compliment to your husband! Favourites are the fence and the Hydrangea bud. Last week my Hydrangea lost some of its glory when the night was too cold. Hopefully it will repair!
Sarah Wilkie
I seem to have had a few glitches lately, but all very short lived! Thank you for taking the trouble to come back and try again 😊 I hope your hydrangea recovers.
equinoxio21
Very nice.
(I should read Blake…)
Sarah Wilkie
He’s worth reading. I studied him at school and again at university!
equinoxio21
You would I’m sure. Sadly, in the French system English authors are barely touched upon.
Pepper
I love this gallery of small, Sarah. 😊
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, I’m glad you like it 🙂
Sofia Alves
Gorgeous, Sarah. I love that you have a hydrangea bud, I thought it was just me that liked them like that 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sofia 😊 I think a lot of flowers look almost as good in bud as they do when in full bloom!
grandmisadventures
beautiful pictures- that yellow begonia is so pretty!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Meg, I’m pleased you like them 😊
Ju-Lyn
Fabulous series, Sarah!
Even wilted flowers against a dusky sky is lovely. Small, indeed, is beautiful.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Ju-Lyn 😊
restlessjo
Mission accomplished! xx
Sarah Wilkie
Glad you think so, thanks Jo 😘
Image Earth Travel
My favourite is the pink flower at the start. Is it a Camellia?
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Nilla 🙂 No, it’s a begonia – our camellias are long since past.
wetanddustyroads
You and your husband make a mean team Sarah 😊. The Nigella is lovely, but wow, how beautiful is that yellow Begonia!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Corna 😊 I do love the Nigella and it’s looking great just now, while we wait for a lot of the other plants to come into their best.
Anne Sandler
What a team, your husband and you, creating such beauty to be captured by a camera. It is so fitting for this challenge.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Anne 😊 I’m glad you felt this fitted the challenge – maybe having a small garden helped!
photobyjohnbo
You’ve nailed this challenge with your gallery, Sarah! My favorite is that beautiful yellow begonia!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much John 😊 We always have a lot of begonias as my husband is careful to choose plants that don’t appeal to the many snails that seem to frequent our garden!
EgÃdio
Sarah, you have shown such beauty with these images. I liked the whole gallery, but a couple of images stood out among all others. The Hydrangea bud was the first. We often admire the flowers and overlook the buds. The other was the ivy growing through the fence. That is the kind of image we often overlook. Excellent gallery!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Egidio 😊 This was such an interesting idea for a challenge. The ivy was the first shot I came up with, before I even walked out of the back door!
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
Chris has done a marvellous job (as have you of course). John made noises about taking an interest in the garden after retirement but somehow it has never happened (something to do with the 5 bikes). It gets no tlc from me either, I’m afraid.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anabel 🙂 Chris has always taken an interest in the garden, which is great for me of course! His father was a very keen gardener and Chris has inherited some of that enthusiasm.
Tina Schell
Hydrangea are my favorite flowers Sarah, I hope you’ll post them when they bloom! We had them in our home up north but sadly they die too quickly down here in the south. Your photography as always is perfect – those lush greens in the first three images are truly wonderful! They’re so alive on the screen it seems one could reach out and touch them. Beautifully done.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Tina 😊 I’ll certainly try to remember to share some hydrangea photos when they flower, perhaps in one of my monthly round-ups. I’m so glad you liked my greens!
Susanne Swanson
A beautiful gallery of small! I love the the colors and intricacies you captured in your garden!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Susanne 🙂 I do enjoy capturing small details like these!
Wandering Dawgs
Sarah, your gorgeous images show us that small is truly beautiful. I love the details you have captured in these closeups. The fern is my favorite.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Beth, I’m glad you enjoyed all the details here 😊
Sue
what a lovely little Haven you have there, Sarah! the hydrangea in bud is green lovelines
Sarah Wilkie
A haven indeed, thanks to Chris 😀 We have a lot of hydrangeas all waiting to flower soon!
Teresa
I love your little finds in your garden.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Teresa 😊
margaret21
This looks a pretty uplifting back yard to me. I do love ivy’s persistence and can-do attitude too!
Sarah Wilkie
It’s a pretty little haven, thanks to Chris 🙂