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.