RobinD, does your camera have a "macro" mode (usually indicated by an icon shaped like a flower) to focus very close?
That is one of the trickier features in many cameras and hard to get to work right. But if you want to focus on the bloom, rather than the dead leaves slightly further away, it is worth some attention.
I hope this is taken as helpful not critical, and I am well aware I'm just blundering around with my own camera.
