Forget-Me-Nots
Getting close again today after a few days of not. The forget-me-nots are starting to bloom so I’m posting one now before I forget.
Tagged With: Bloom
Forget-Me-Nots
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Blue, Flower, Flowers, Forget-me-not, Myosotis
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Dogwood Blossoms
Dogwood Blossoms
I know I’ve already done dogwood flowers but a) I never said I wouldn’t repeat and b) I like this picture. In the Extras gallery there’s a pink dogwood flower, as well.
Flowering Almond
Flowering Almond
We planted this flowering almond when we first moved into the house. It was given to Cathy by a friend. It never gets more than about three feet tall and dies back almost to the ground every other year. Still, when it’s in bloom, it’s pretty nice. And it doesn’t need any pruning.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Almond, Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowering Almond, Flowering Shrubs, Flowers, Pink, Shrub
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Lily of the Valley
Lily of the Valley
I love these little bells. We brought lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) with us from George Street only to buy a house where there was a significant amount already planted. I’ve seen it forcing its way up through pavement, so it’s quite tenacious once it gets established. I could only wish the flowers lasted longer.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Convallaria, Convallaria majalis, Flower, Flowers, Lily of the Valley, Perennial, White
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Spiderwort
Spiderwort
This is the first bloom on our Tradescantia (spiderwort) out front in the shade garden. This one is lighter purple than most but still quite pretty. I especially like the deep purple stamen hairs and the yellow anthers. Apparently, when the stamen hairs are exposed to ionizing radiation they turn pink. Looks like were safe, for now.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowers, Hardy Perennial, Perennial, Purple, Spiderwort, Tradescantia, Yellow
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Rose ‘Roseraie De l’Hay’
Rose ‘Roseraie De l’Hay’
This is a nice rugosa hybrid that booms all summer long. The flowers have an intense clove scent that I really love. The only downside is that the shrub is so tall and most of the roses are on the top so you usually see them from below. Still, it will have a lot of blooms shortly and will be something to see.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowers, Pink, Rose, Rose ‘Roseraie De l’Hay’, ‘Roseraie De l’Hay’
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Bearded Iris
Bearded Iris
The irises are starting to bloom all over. This is a purple and yellow variety outside our dining room window. I think yellow and purple are a terrific color combination.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bearded Iris, Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowers, Iris, Perennial, Purple, Yellow
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Fireworks
Fireworks
You know when the really big fireworks explosions go off, they produce lines of light radiating out from the center with smaller explosions at the end of each ray? That’s what this reminds me of. It’s one of the large Alliums (gigantium or cristophii, I’d guess) growing in Ralph and Tsai-Hong’s garden.
‘Jaune Desprez’
‘Jaune Desprez’
I wish you could smell this rose. This is a Noisette rose called ‘Jaune Desprez’ (Desprez, France, 1835). The individual blooms are not the most beautifully shaped in all creation but it blooms reliably and grows pretty vigorously.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowers, Noisette, Rose, Rose ‘Jaune Desprez’, ‘Jaune Desprez’
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Rose Trellis
Rose Trellis
Last summer Kevin helped me build this rose trellis. The roses haven’t had a chance to fill in completely but it’s starting to look pretty good.
On the right is ‘Champneys’ Pink Cluster’ (Champneys, U.S., 1811). Although it isn’t really a climbing rose the support is helpful, anyway. On the left is ‘Crépuscule’ (Francis Dubreuil, France, 1904). Both of them are Noisette roses and bloom pretty well off and on all summer. ‘Crépuscule’ has the stronger scent but both are nice in that regard.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowers, Noisette, Rose, Rose Trellis, Rose ‘Champneys’ Pink Cluster’, Rose ‘Crépuscule’, ‘Champneys’ Pink Cluster’, ‘Crépuscule’
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A Pink Multiflora Rose
A Pink Multiflora Rose
Normally I’d be the last person to suggest that anyone grow a multiflora rose. About them the great plantsman Michael Dirr says, “use this species with the knowledge that none of your gardening friends in the immediate vicinity will ever speak to you again.”
Still, when I came across a bright pink multiflora — it is almost certainly a natural hybrid but it is a multiflora in every way except petal color — I decided I had to have it. I dug up a small piece and it’s thriving on my back fence. The parent plant was destroyed, so I got it just in time.
It’s really a lovely shrub and it is absolutely covered with hundreds of flowers and thousands of buds. Just don’t tell Spencer.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowers, Multiflora Rose, Pink, Rosa multiflora, Rose
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Allium caeruleum
Allium caeruleum
This is a sweet little blue allium. I think I’ll get a few more of these this fall.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Allium, Allium caeruleum, Bloom, Blooms, Blue, Bulbs, Flower, Flowers, Onion
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Asiatic Lily
Asiatic Lily
This is the first of our few (but beautiful) Asiatic lilies to bloom. We really should have more of these.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Asiatic Lily, Bloom, Bulbs, Flower, Flowers, Lily, Orange
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Butterfly Weed
Butterfly Weed
We have this orange Asclepias tuberosa as well as a pure-yellow-flowered variety.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Asclepias, Asclepias tuberosa, Bloom, Blooms, Butterfly Weed, Flower, Flowers, Hardy Perennial, Native Plants, Perennial
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Turk’s Cap Lily
Turk’s Cap Lily
My dad had these growing in his garden and was spreading them by planting the bulbils that form in the axils of the leaves. After we moved in 2006 Cathy started collecting bulbils and planting them here, as well. They are doing nicely and add a nice splash of color this time of year.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowers, Lily, Orange, Turk's Cap Lily
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Be Glad
Be Glad
Gladiolus, that is.
Morning Glory
Morning Glory
I rarely give this plant any name but bindweed and I spend a lot of time pulling it out of my garden. I do have to say, though, that for colors in the deepest registers, this is just about as good as it gets. The morning glory (along with the lowly petunia) has some of the most beautiful, deep, rich, colors in the world of flowers.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowers, Morning Glory, Purple
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Zinnia
Zinnia
Exbury Azalea
Exbury Azalea
Cathy called me today from Home Depot asking if I wanted her to buy this Exbury azalea. I’ve been meaning to get a few of these for the yard and this one was reasonably priced and it good shape, so I said yes. What is an Exbury azalea, you might ask? They have a fairly complicated makeup and many of the early records don’t exist. But in the late 18th century, hybrids were made between North American azalea species Rhododendron calendulaceum, nudiflorum, arborescens, and viscosum, and the bright yellow flowered, European R. luteum, producing what are generally referred to as Ghent azaleas. The addition of R. molle and japonicum took the azaleas to the next stage, the Mollis and then R. occidentale was added, giving us the Knaphill azaleas. Starting in the 1920s Lionel de Rothschild made hundreds of thousands of hybrids and brought us the Exbury azalea. Well, that’s a rather simplified history. You can read more here: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v40n1/v40n1-cash1.htm.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Azalea, Bloom, Blooms, Exbury Azalea, Flowering Shrub, Flowers, Orange, Rhododendron
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Exbury Azalea Buds
Exbury Azalea Buds
The Exbury azalea that Cathy bought for me last year is getting ready to bloom. I planted it near the top of our driveway, to the right where there used to be an awful holly shrub. The deer did some damage to it late last summer but what’s left of it is beginning to come to life. The flower and leaf buds are swelling and there should be some blooms in a few days. The Exbury azaleas are among the deciduous azaleas. In fact, most azalea species are deciduous but since most of us are familiar with azaleas through the proliferation of the Glenn Dale cultivars (developed by Benjamin Morrison from 1935 through 1952), which are evergreen. The Exbury hybrids were made in the 1920s by Lionel de Rothschild and their genetic makeup contains some or all of the following: R. arborescens, R. calendulaceum, R. japonicum, R. luteum, R. molle, R. nudiflorum, R. occidentale, and R. viscosum.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Azalea, Bloom, Blooms, Exbury Azalea, Flowering Shrub, Flowers, Orange, Rhododendron
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Skipper on Coreopsis
Skipper on Coreopsis
I sat on the patio for a while this afternoon, just enjoying being in the sun. It was actually a little hot for my taste, but still nice for all of that. Also, the light is better for macro photography in the sun, when you want as much depth of field and as fast a shutter speed as possible. I was watching the insects around the potted flowers on the patio and got a few pictures of this skipper (family Hesperiidae) on a coreopsis (a.k.a. tickseed) flower. The insects aren’t around it the huge numbers we’ll have in a few weeks, particularly when the mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) starts to bloom, but they are certainly here and I really enjoy them.
Categories: Creatures, Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Hesperiidae, Insect, Skipper, Yellow
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Bumble Bee Balm
Bumble Bee on Monarda Flower
I’ve been able to get a fair number of flower pictures so far this year but the insects are not out in all their force yet. I’ve seen many around but haven’t been able to photograph many of them. This is my first bumble bee of the summer. It isn’t the best bumble bee picture I’ve ever taken but it makes me happy, with the brightness of the bee balm (Monarda didyma) contrasting with the black of the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens). I’m sure there will be many more to come. As for the title of this post, it’s the sort of thing that shows up in crossword puzzles fairly often, two words or phrases that overlap in the middle. Bumble Bee and Bee Balm.
Categories: Creatures, Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bee, Bloom, Bumble Bee, Insects
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Zinnia
Zinnia
When we moved into our house 11 years ago there was a large oak tree centered at the front of the property. It was not a healthy tree and was in the slow process of dying. Because it was actually in the road right-of-way, the county came (at our request) and took it down. Since then Cathy has planted mostly annuals every spring in the spot where it used to be. These are generally brightly colored zinnias and marigolds, although there are other plants as well as a few containers with even more variety. This is the flower from one of the zinnias.
Dahlia ‘Dracula’
Dark Angel Dahlia ‘Dracula’
I posted a picture of this same dahlia on Monday, September 18, 2017, so you’ll have to excuse the repetition. Although it’s not particularly large for a dahlia flower, it’s very pretty. Also, the plant has very dark purple, not-quite-black foliage. It’s lovely overall and we definitely need to dig up the tuber and try to keep it for next year. We’ve never actually done that before and I’m not sure how successful we’ll be. They are supposed to be stored in a damp place all winter in temperatures that are between 45°F and 50°F, which is a pretty narrow range and not something we have naturally in our house. Our basement is cool but not that cool and we do our best to make it dry, not humid (it’s currently at 38% relative humidity). So, we’ll see what we can do.
Schlumbergera truncata (Thanksgiving Cactus)
Schlumbergera truncata (Thanksgiving Cactus)
Our Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) is blooming right on schedule this year. It’s such a cheerful color to brighten up the kitchen and I’m happy for it. It’s a fairly unassuming plant most of the year but as with many cacti, its flowers are remarkable. We have a half dozen of them and some are doing better than others but they are relatively easy plants, not asking for a lot of attention, which is good, because they really don’t get much from us. And yet, this is what they give us.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Cactus, Houseplant, Pink
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Star Magnolia Bud
Star Magnolia Bud
The house Cathy grew up in has two star magnolias (Magnolia stellata) in the front yard. They bloom early and their petals are quite tender so it’s actually more common for them to be frost damaged than not. The snow and cold we had yesterday has done a little damage to the petals, as you can see on this bud. Nevertheless, if it doesn’t get cold again, this tree could put on a wonderful show in a week or so. But we aren’t out of the woods yet, in terms of frost and there’s plenty of time for these blooms to be wiped out. They’re lovely as they are, of course, but on the rare occasion the trees bloom without any petal burn, they are quite spectacular.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Magnolia, Pink, Spring, Star Magnolia, Tree
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Camellia japonica ‘Pink Perfection’
Camellia japonica ‘Pink Perfection’
Some things are worth waiting for. If they were not, we’d have a hard time planning for anything farther away than next week, I guess. Some things, like trees and to a lesser extent shrubs, take a while to be worth planting. In the spring of 2010, I planted a small Camellia japonica called ‘Pink Perfection’. It was small to begin with and struggled through the first couple years. I’ve lowered the pH of the soil around it, and that seems to have helped significantly. It bloomed a few times the first year but hasn’t bloomed since until now. Hopefully it is becoming well enough established that it will begin to grow and we’ll get more like this in the years to come.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Camellia, Camellia japonica, Evergreens, Pink, Pink Perfection, Shrubs
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Peony ‘Coral Sunset’
Peony ‘Coral Sunset’
In the fall of 2014 I bought three peonies called ‘Coral Sunset’ from John Scheepers (https://www.johnscheepers.com/). I planted them amidst the pachysandra along the back of my garden. The first spring there was only evidence of one of them. The next year, two. Now all three are coming up through the pachysandra and each of them bore a single bud. This is the largest and the first of them to bloom. I must say, they are worth the wait. One great thing about peonies is that they are long lived and they continue to grow into larger and larger clumps. These three should eventually grow together into one massive clump that will be wonderful in bloom. For now, I enjoy the solitary flower.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Coral, Coral Sunset, Paeonia, Peony, Perennial
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Peony ‘Coral Sunset’
Peony ‘Coral Sunset’
I know I’ve already posted a picture of this plant this spring. In fact, it was only four days ago. Nevertheless, The second of the three peonies that I planted in 2014, named ‘Coral Sunset’, was blooming and had the late afternoon sun shining through it. I just couldn’t resist another picture of this wonderful flower. With one bloom per plant, we’re basically done for the year with these three. But they were worth it and I’m already looking forward to a total of four or five flowers on the three plants next year.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Coral, Coral Sunset, Paeonia, Peony, Perennial
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Zinnia
Zinnia
It was another foray out onto the driveway for pictures this evening after work. Today was relatively quiet, coming home from work and not going out again, which was a treat after the week we’ve had. Things will get busy again tomorrow as William and Beth are driving down from New York and we’ll be going through a few things in the basement at Margaret’s house. I stopped at the store and bought some ground beef and ground pork. When I got home I made some meat sauce to have with tortellini and also made a meat loaf to slice and reheat for meals in upcoming days.
Deep Orange Zinnia
Deep Orange Zinnia
In the small garden where the county once had an oak tree, down by the road, Cathy has been growing mostly annuals each summer. We got a lot less done in the yard this year but she did manage to get a bunch of zinnia and marigold plants in the ground. There is Pachysandra terminalis already growing around the bed but she has kept the center, where the tree was, clear for her annuals. There is also Conoclinium coelestinum (Blue Mistflower), a slightly invasive herbaceous perennial, but she pulls out enough each year to keep things balanced. The blue of the Conoclinium goes well with the yellow and orange of the zinnias and marigolds.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Annual, Bloom, Blooms, Flowers, Garden, Orange, Tender Annual, Zinnia
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Cleome and Black-eyed Susan
Cleome ‘Señorita Rosalita’
We really should plant more of this. The pink flowers in the foreground are Cleome ‘Señorita Rosalita’ and they really are lovely. They also bloom pretty much continuously all summer and well into the fall. We have just a few plants growing in a container on the back patio. They are pretty much overwhelmed by the yellow of the black-eyed Susans that are all around. I think if we had a larger container or two filled with Cleome, it would be pretty nice. I should make a point of buying a few packets of next year and getting them started early.
Categories: Miscellaneous
Tags: Annuals, Black-eyed Susan, Bloom, Blooms, Cleome, Cleome Señorita Rosalita, Pink, Señorita Rosalita, Yellow
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Sunflowers
Sunflowers
These were given to Margaret for her 92nd birthday and are quite pretty. We have them in a tall, blue vase that we were given as a wedding present and they are photographed here in front of the cherry china cabinet that I’ve used as a backdrop a few times since we moved it to our dining room. Sunflowers are great, not just because they last so long in a vase, but that certainly is a useful trait. Their combination of ray petals and the small flowers that make up the center of the flower head are just really pretty. And the color is nice, too.
Anthurium andraeanum
Anthurium andraeanum
The Anthurium genus contains about 1000 species—the largest genus in the arum family—but only two of them are grown for their bright red spathes. This is Anthurium andraeanum, a native to Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuelan Antilles, and the Windward Islands. Common names include flamingo lily and painter’s palette, although I’ve only ever known it simply as Anthurium. Like many plants in the Araceae family, Anthurium species contain calcium oxalate crystals (CaC2O4(H2O)x) and are therefore poisonous to humans. They’re pretty, though.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Anthurium, Anthurium andraeanum, Arum, Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowers, Red
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Tradescantia virginiana (Spiderwort)
Tradescantia virginiana (Spiderwort)
This spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) is growing right outside our kitchen door and although it doesn’t have so many flowers at this time of the year, it still manages to put out a few. They are such beautiful little flowers and I can’t imagine not having them in our garden. The color ranges from blue to purple and it’s not always the same in photographs as it is to the eye. It’s possible that some of the color comes from the physical structure of the flower rather than from a pigment but I don’t actually know for sure. Examples of structural colors include those found in peacock feathers, butterfly wings, and the beautiful iridescence of beetle carapaces. If you are interested in structural colors, you might find this article interesting: Color from Structure in The Scientist.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Blue, Flower, Flowers, Hardy Perennial, Native Plants, Perennial, Purple, Spiderwort, Tradescantia, Tradescantia virginiana
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Crocus
Crocus
The so-called Dutch crocus (Crocus vernus and its cultivars) is native to the mountains of Europe, the Pyrenees, Alps and Carpathians. The name crocus comes from krokos (κρόκος) the ancient Greek name for saffron (Crocus sativus). While crocuses prefer gritty, well-drained soils they do amazingly well in our heavy, clay soil that is totally water logged all winter most years. This one is growing in a bed of lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) and Vinca minor in our back yard. There are also some daffodils and hyacinths that are starting to come up bu those won’t be in bloom for a little while yet.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Bulb, Corm, Crocus, Crocus vernus, Hardy Perennial, Purple, Spring, Spring Ephemerals, Yellow
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Windflower (Anemone blanda)
Windflower (Anemone blanda)
Last Sunday after church we walked to the Stadtman Preserve and I posted a picture of three little Chionodoxa forbesii blossoms. This week we went there again. The daffodils are starting to bloom and there are lots more Chionodoxa flowers opening up throughout the property. It was this little windflower (Anemone blanda) that really caught my eye. It’s such a pretty little thing. I’ve had a few of them in our garden but they never really amounted to much. I need to make a note to myself to buy a bunch of them and put them in. Interestingly, the flower is apetalous (it has no petals) and what look like petals are actually sepals.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Anemone, Anemone blanda, Bloom, Flower, Hardy Perennial, Perennial, Spring, Spring Ephemerals, Windflower
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Flowering Almond
Flowering Almond
We have this little flowering almond shrub in our front garden near the corner of our garage. It never gets very big because it’s not entirely hardy here and every couple years it dies back pretty hard. We actually had a few days when the temperature was nearing 0°F (-18°C) but it seems to have come through it practically unscathed. The flowers, clustered around the stems, are fairly small, only a half inch or so across. Never the less, they are quite pretty, both individually and as a whole. It’s really a shame this doesn’t get bigger because it would be spectacular.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Almond, Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowering Almond, Flowering Shrubs, Pink
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Narcissus ‘Lemon Beauty’
Narcissus ‘Lemon Beauty’
The daffodils are about at their peak right now and will soon begin to fade. We have a few that are still getting ready to bloom for for the most part, they are open. These ‘Lemon Beauty’ daffodils were planted in the fall of 2014 so this is their fifth spring and they are doing quite well. They were planted in the bed around the Colorado spruce and were somewhat shaded by that but now that it’s gone, they’ll get more early spring sun, which they will appreciate, I suspect. The stump of the spruce is still there and I need to finish getting that up and then decide what to plan in its place. I’ve narrowed it down to a half dozen flowering trees but making the final decision is hard.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Bulbs, Daffodil, Lemon Beauty, Narcissus, Narcissus 'Lemon Beauty', Spring, White, Yellow
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Tulip ‘Van Eijk’
Tulip ‘Van Eijk’
In the fall of 2009 and again in 2010 I bought a pretty good number of bulbs from McClure and Zimmerman (https://www.mzbulb.com/). In each of those orders they threw in five tulip of the variety ‘Van Eijk’. There are still ten plants growing where I planted them although we only have six blooms this year. Tulips are not terribly long-lived plants, certainly not in our area, anyway, so the fact that these are still blooming after 8 or nine years is pretty good. They’re quite bright and a sea of them would be more impressive than the six I have, of course. In general, though, I’m more a fan of daffodils, which seem to live forever and form large clumps over time.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Bulb, Red, Spring, Tulip, Tulip ‘Van Eijk’, Tulipa
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Myosotis sylvatica (Woodland Forget-me-not)
Myosotis sylvatica (Woodland Forget-me-not)
The forget-me-nots (Myosotis sylvatica) are in full bloom in our garden. They self-seed and many of them are growing out in the grass. Cathy has dug a few up to replant in the garden beds where they won’t get mowed over. We both really love the powder blue of the forget-me-nots and are happy when the start to bloom. The buds are purple and the flowers, as they start to open, turn from a pinkish purple to the pure blue of the fully-formed flowers. You can see one transitioning at the right in this photo. The yellow “eye” in the center of each bloom turns white as the flower ages.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Blue, Forget-me-not, Herbaceous Perennial, Myosotis, Myosotis sylvatica, Perennial, Spring, Woodland Forget-me-not
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Exbury Azalea
Exbury Azalea
This Exbury azalea is starting to bloom. It’s been eaten back by the deer, so it’s not clear that it will ever get really big unless we are able to protect it. The flowers are quite striking, especially compared to the ubiquitous Glenn Dale azaleas that everyone has. I’ve got nothing against the Glenn Dales, mind you. But you have to admit, they have a certain sameness to them. I suppose if everyone grew Exbury or Mollis azaleas, I’d fell the same way. Or not. They really are spectacular and if you want yellows an oranges, they’re your best bet this time of year. They are deciduous, of course, so if you want leaves year round, they won’t do. But they sure make up for it in bloom.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Azalea, Bloom, Blooms, Exbury Azalea, Flowering Shrub, Flowers, Orange, Rhododendron
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Columbine
Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
The columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) is really coming into bloom now in our garden. We have a few different varieties and I won’t swear that they are all this species (in fact I don’t think they are). But this one, I think probably is. It’s one of two that have flowers with a fuchsia or slightly purple color in their flowers. The other one is darker, almost tending towards a brownish red. It also has slightly more double white parts. They are both nice in their own way, and I’m pretty happy with this self seeding through out the garden. It doesn’t go out of control, like some self-seeders tend to do, so I don’t really mind.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Aquilegia, Bloom, Blooms, Columbine, Hardy Perennial, Native Plants, Perennial
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Roseraie De l’Hay
Roseraie De l’Hay
My roses have had a rough few years. Three of them outright died in the last twelve months and I’m not entirely sure why. This one, a hybrid rugosa named ‘Roseraie De l’Hay’ lost a lot of stems but is still hanging on and has just started to bloom. The stems are relatively thin and the heavy flowers are too much for them, so they face pretty much downwards, especially after a rain. Like most rugosas, this rose has a really wonderful scent and the leaves are a beautiful green, generally untouched by any disease.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Crimson Purple, Fragrance, Hybrid Rugosa, Rose, Rugosa, Rugosa Rose, ‘Roseraie De l’Hay’
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‘Perle d’Or’
‘Perle d’Or’
In the continuing series of roses, this is one of my favorites. I’m down from a high of 13 roses in the garden to 5. One of those, Crépuscule, was nearly killed a few years ago after being by far the largest rose I had, covering a 20 foot trellis on the south end of the house. This on, a small china rose called Perle d’Or is growing just outside our front door. It lost a few canes to the cold this winter but is in full bloom now, really showing off and giving off a wonderful fragrance.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Apricot, Bloom, China Rose, Fragrance, Perle d’Or, Rose, Rose ‘Perle d’Or’
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Peony ‘Coral Sunset’
Peony ‘Coral Sunset’
This is one of three peonies that I planted in 2014, named ‘Coral Sunset’ that are growing will in the back garden. I’m a big fan of peonies and if I had a lot of space I might devote and entire garden room to them. There are both herbaceous and woody stemmed peonies and the are both worth growing. They do take a while to get established but they don’t really require much care. The reward in the huge, brightly colored flowers every spring. There is a nice peony garden at Seneca Creek State Park, if you are interested. I haven’t had a chance to go this year and it isn’t looking like I will, but it’s worth a peek, if you can get there when they are in bloom.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Coral, Coral Sunset, Hardy Perennial, Paeonia, Peony, Peony Coral Sunset, Perennial
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Cleome ‘Senorita Blanca’
Cleome ‘Senorita Blanca’
On Sunday, as I mentioned, we went to Stadler Nursery in Laytonsville. Cathy bought a few things, including two Cleome plants, one white and one very pale pink. The white one, shown here, is called ‘Senorita Blanca’ and the other is ‘Senorita Mi Amor’. We’ve had Cleome ‘Senorita Rosalita’ in the past and these are (I assume) related plants with different coloration. My understanding is that they are sterile and will not self-seed, which is both good and bad. Annuals that do self-seed can become a real nuisance and get out of control. But some, if they only just manage to hold on, are really nice. Nigela is a good example of the latter. In our experience, it just self-seeds enough that we have it for a few years before needing to plant more. Other annuals, of course, go totally native and sterile plants are a real boon.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Annual, Annuals, Bloom, Blooms, Cleome, Cleome Senorita Blanca, Flowers, Senorita Blanca, Tender Annual, White
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Asclepias curassavica Orange
Asclepias curassavica Orange
This butterfly weed, Asclepias curassavica, is also known as blood flower. Cathy recently bought a few plants in both orange (this one) and all yellow. Sadly, it is not hardy enough for in-ground planting as a perennial here, but it should do well in containers and brighten up the back patio. This one is in a container right outside our kitchen door and looks great against the green backdrop of Rudbekia growing around the patio. I especially like the bi-color nature of this one, although the all-yellow variety is nice, too.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Asclepias, Asclepias curassavica, Blood Flower, Bloom, Blooms, Butterfly Weed, Herbaceous Perennial, Orange, Perennial, Tender Perennial
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Hydrangea macrophylla
Hydrangea macrophylla
We have a pair of Hydrangea shrubs growing along the back of our garden. one of them is fairly large and growing strongly. The other, this Hydrangea macrophylla, is not so big but it’s blooming, at least. The deer seem to like it, so we’ve allowed the Forsythia to grow in front of it a little, to help protect it from them. Of course, that makes it harder for us to see, as well. You can’t have everything. The sterile florets, which have large petals, are a very pale pinkish with touches of blue. The much smaller fertile florets are quite blue, and the combination is quite nice.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blue, Flowering Shrub, Hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, Shrub
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Blackberry Lily (Iris domestica)
Blackberry Lily (Iris domestica)
The blackberry lilies (Iris domestica and formerly Belamcanda chinensis) have started to bloom in the garden. We originally got this when I collected some seeds and planted them at our old house. We brought some here with us in 2006 and they have really taken hold. We sprinkle the seeds around and let them grow where they will. They aren’t nearly so aggressive as to be a problem and they are so pretty. I had a picture of the buds recently but this is the flower. They open in the morning and each individual flower only lasts a day, but they are born in profusion and soon we’ll have dozens of them in bloom, scattered around the yard.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Belamcanda, Belamcanda chinensis, Blackberry Lily, Bloom, Blooms, Hardy Perennial, Iris, Iris domestica, Orange
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Zinnia
Zinnia
This spring Cathy planted some zinia and marigold seeds. She’s talked about doing that for a few years but this year she actually got them planted. They grew under a plant light in our dining room in the late winter and into the early spring. They probably were started a little early because by the time it was safe to plant them outside they were a bit leggy and had already started to bloom. Still, I’d say they constituted a success. This one is growing in a pot on the back patio and it has pretty flowers. Not a lot of them, but every little bit counts.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Annual, Bloom, Pink, Tender Annual, Yellow, Zinnia
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Japanese Anemone
Japanese Anemone
We’ve admired anemones in other peoples’ gardens for years and on occasion we’ve tried to grow them in ours but so far, nothing has taken. Cathy bought this one the other day from Stadler Nursery in Laytonsville and we’re going to give it another try. They really are lovely flowers and pretty plants in general. Hopefully we find the right spot for it where it can thrive and where we can enjoy it on a regular basis for years to come.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Anemone, Bloom, Blooms, Cerise, Japanese Anemone, Pink
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Dried Orchid Flower
Dried Orchid Flower
This dried orchid flower, a Phalaenopsis, is on a plant in our kitchen. I’m a big fan of orchids but sadly haven’t been able to give those we have the attention that they rightly deserve. We’ve lost a few although a few others are getting by. In a perfect world, I’d water them more regularly and pay them more attention but we don’t live in a perfect world. Some things that I’d like to get to are passed over for more pressing matters. Maybe one day I’ll have the time to devote to them again. In the meantime, I’ll try to at least keep them alive. Inevitably I’ll fail for some of them. But then, they’re just plants and easily replaced.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Orchid, Phalaenopsis, Phalaenopsis Orchids, Pink
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Ranunculus asiaticus
Ranunculus asiaticus, Persian Buttercup
While she was in Alaska from July to December, Dorothy got a job at a florist shop. She’s been exposed to flowers and plants to one degree or another all her life, having been dragged to various botanical gardens and arboreta. More recently she has come to appreciate them more than she did as a child. Nevertheless, her time at the florist has served to increase her love of flowers. This is a Ranunculus asiaticus, the Persian buttercup, and Dorothy brought home a bouquet of them for the dining room table. They are quite beautiful and I love the many overlapping petals of the deep crimson blooms.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Bulb, Bulbs, Ranunculus, Ranunculus asiaticus, Red
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Ranunculus
Ranunculus
The Ranunculus that I photographed on January 17 continues to deliver. The flowers have opened up and are bright orangy-red with interesting centers. In another day or two they’ll be finished, I think, but we’ll get a little more enjoyment out of them. This time of year, flowers on the table are a nice extravagance. It’s actually getting a bit warm for this time of year and the forecast is for warmer still for a little while. I have no doubt that winter will return before long, though, and we’ll want to stay indoors.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Bulb, Bulbs, Ranunculus, Ranunculus asiaticus, Red
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Flowering Almond
Flowering Almond
This is the little flowering almond growing near the corner of our garage. It’s done pretty well the last few years, as we’ve had relatively mild winters but I don’t think it’s ever going to get more than about four feet tall. Maybe it isn’t in the best spot but it’s nice to have when it’s in bloom. There was a bumble bee on it and I tried to get pictures of that but this late in the day it’s in shadow and there just wasn’t enough light to get a sharp enough shot. The flowers are nice by themselves, though.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Almond, Bloom, Blooms, Flower, Flowering Almond, Flowering Shrubs, Pink
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White Flowering Clematis
White Flowering Clematis
In the back of our garden, near the fence where there was a huge rose bush, there is a clematis. For years it’s struggled to be seen among the rose, which was often out of control. Well, the rose is gone now, having mysteriously died last year. I’m sad about that, and wish it hadn’t died but at least this beautiful, white clematis is still there and is doing quite well, now that it’s getting the sun it needs and isn’t overshadowed by the huge plant. We will need something for it to clime on but for now, it’s just happy to be blooming in the sun.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Clematis, Hardy Perennial, Vine, White, Woody Perennial
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Backlit Iris
Backlit Iris
Cathy and I went for a walk in the neighborhood this evening and came across this iris, back lit by the setting sun. It was more purple in real life but I think the photo is pretty nice, anyway. I have a thing for back lighting, particularly of growing things. I love the luminescent quality and amazing colors of leaves and flower petals lit by the sun. I also took photos of our hawthorn, which is in bloom, and the first rose to open on ‘Perle d’Or’ outside our front door. But there will be more chances to photograph those in the days ahead.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Back Light, Bloom, Bright, Iris, Purple, Spring
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Exbury Azalea
Exbury Azalea
After work today I sat out in the yard. It was quite warm and I was enjoying the birds singing in the early evening. There is a family of house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) that have nested in a small, ceramic bird house hanging from our cherry tree and they make themselves known. I got a few photos of the wren but they’re small birds and I wasn’t really that close to it. I also surprised a rabbit (an eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus), who came around the corner and found himself much closer to me that he would have liked. He froze long enough for me to get a pretty good close up. But I decided to post this photo of the Exbury azalea that’s just finishing up a really nice blooming season.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Azalea, Bloom, Blooms, Exbury Azalea, Flowering Shrub, Flowers, Orange, Rhododendron
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Pollinator
Pollinator on Helenium
This little bee is absolutely loaded with pollen. (Side question: if pollen is spelled with an ‘e’, why does pollinator have an ‘i’ in its place?) Anyway, Cathy and I went to Meadowside Nature Center this afternoon and walked around a pond and through the woods. In addition to this little bee, I got a pretty good photo of a common whitetail (Plathemis lydia), a fairly common dragonfly. But I thought I’d go with the bright yellow of this photo instead. I’m also partial to bees, of course.
Categories: Creatures, Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bee, Bloom, Helenium, Hymenoptera, Insect, Pollinator, Wsp, Yellow
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Laciniated, Bi-color Dahlia
Laciniated, Bi-color Dahlia
Cathy and I went to the Dahlia garden at the county’s Agricultural Farm Park this afternoon. I think I’ve found my absolute favorite dahlia of all time. I love dahlias in all their forms and wouldn’t really disparage any of them. That being said, I’ve always been more drawn to the single and mignon classes of dahlias more than the huge dinner plate or cactus classes. This one, however, I really, really like. It’s a laciniated or fimbriated dahlia, characterized by having petals that are split at the end into two or more divisions. Added to that, this one has petals that are a different shade on the front from the back. I particularly like the color combination of orange on the front and almost red on the back. It’s a pretty large bloom, as well and the flowers are absolutely lovely. So, for now, it’s my favorite.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Aster, Autumn, Bi-color Dahlia, Bloom, Dahlia, Laciniated Dahlia, Orange
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Camellia x ‘Winter’s Star’
Camellia x ‘Winter’s Star’
I bought this camellia, called ‘Winter’s Star’, from Camellia Forest and planted it along the fence at the north end of our back garden. It’s doing well and is coming into bloom. This is a cross between Camellia oleifera and Camellia hiemalis ‘Showa-no-sakae’ and as you can see, it has single, pink flowers and is a fall bloomer. It’s only three or so feet tall at this point, but it should get large enough to be a really striking fall feature in that part of the yard. I bought and planted two other camellias at the same time. These others are both C. japonica and are called ‘Hokkaido Red’ and ‘April Rose’, both spring bloomers.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Camellia, Camellia Hybrid, Camellia x ‘Winter's Star’, Evergreen, Flowering Shrub, Pink
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Peony ‘Coral Sunset’
Peony ‘Coral Sunset’
It’s peony time here. I love peonies and it’s a little surprising I haven’t planted more than I have. We have a few on the south end of the house that were here when we moved in. This one, planted in our back garden near the fence, is the only other one we have and I planted three of them in 2014. One thing about peonies is they take a while to really get established. Once they do, of course, they are hard to beat. Even a small plant like these, which only produce one or two blooms each, are pretty amazing, though. I really like this one, called ‘Coral Sunset’. I also love the fact that I caught a little potter or mason wasp hovering near it.
Categories: Creatures, Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Coral, Coral Sunset, Eumeninae, Hardy Perennial, Paeonia, Peony, Peony Coral Sunset, Perennial, Vespidae, Wasp
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Dahlia ‘Pam Howden’
Dahlia ‘Pam Howden’
After church today we decided to go to the Agricultural Farm Park and look at the dahlias. While were were there, a woman told us that there were dahlias being displayed and judged over near the farm house. This is one of my favorites of those that were displayed. It’s a dahlia called ‘Pam Howden’ and was hybridised by Gar Davidson. It’s a really lovely waterlily type dahlia with really amazing color. I was able to ask about a dahlia that I photographed last year (see Saturday, September 26, 2020). While I thought it was really amazing, apparently it didn’t make the grade because it didn’t produce enough blooms. Pity.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Dahlia, Dahlia Pam Howden, Orange, Yellow
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Dahlia ‘Bloomquist Jean’
Dahlia ‘Bloomquist Jean’
We took a walk on the upper Rock Creek late this morning. It had been threatening rain all morning and it started to come down just as we got out of the car. Because we were in the woods most of our walk, it wasn’t really all that noticeable but we did end up fairly damp. Still, it was good to be out. The spicebush (Lindera benzoin) plants are covered with berries and many of the American Hornbeams (Carpinus caroliniana) are decorated with their winged fruit. After our walk we stopped briefly at the dahlia garden. I particularly like this flower, called ‘Bloomquist Jean’.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Bloomquist Jean, Blooms, Dahlia, Dahlia ‘Bloomquist Jean’, Summer
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Peony
Peony
Cathy and I went up to Seneca Creek State Park this evening to see the Schwartz Peony Garden. It’s perhaps not quite at peak as of today but there were plenty of blooms. There’s a bit of variety in peony flowers and lately I’ve been drawn to the simpler, single flowers, particularly the pale colors. Of course I also like some of the extremely dark and vibrant colors, so it’s not just one or the other. This one, especially in the light we saw it, really caught my eye. The petals look to me as though they were expertly fashioned out of porcelain. It’s just absolutely lovely. Lovely and fleeting.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Peony, Peony Garden, Schwartz Peony Garden, Spring
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Peony ‘Coral Sunset’
Peony ‘Coral Sunset’
The garden is coming into full bloom at this point. We have roses starting to bloom, including those I planted over the last few years, and they are wonderful. I also have this peony, called ‘Coral Sunset’ with more blooms on it that it has ever had. Peonies are wonderful plants and continue to grow, year after year. They can take a while to really get going but they don’t disappoint. I can’t say I have one favorite peony out of all the wonderful varieties available but I certainly do like this one, with it’s fabulous color and strong growth.
Categories: Flowers and Plants
Tags: Bloom, Blooms, Coral, Coral Sunset, Hardy Perennial, Paeonia, Peony, Peony Coral Sunset, Perennial, Pink
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Anemone
Anemone
We took a brief trip to the Agricultural History Farm Park today. After wondering through the Master Gardeners demonstration garden and taking a few pictures, we went to the dahlia garden. We were fortunate enough to run into Nick Weber, who grows both dahlias and roses. It was great to see him and get caught up on things that are going on.
This is an anemone from the Master Gardeners garden, and I think they are beautiful. We haven’t had a lot of success with them, but I keep trying.