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Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts
Wordless Wednesday - 02-18-09: Forcing Forsythia
Which do you prefer? (Click to enlarge.)
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Honeybee
This afternoon I noticed half a dozen honeybees rooting around the artichoke flower. They must have found something they liked there! (Be sure to click on the photo to enlarge it - see amazing bee and flower detail.)
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Gestation
For the past couple of months, I've been monitoring the buds on the Stargazer Lilies in our back yard. It's rather like watching a pregnancy unfold (only without the stupid baby showers) - noting each minor change, the anticipation, guessing the birth date. Sunday morning, we were rewarded with a litter! More are blooming every day, and the fragrance is heavenly. Here's a slideshow of the pregnancy and birth:
Earthly Delights
We went to Sauvie Island this morning to a U-Pick farm for fresh strawberries. We picked about 20 pounds of juicy sweet Hood berries, brought them home and popped them in the freezer (those that we didn't pop directly into our mouths). What a treat that will be in January. We'll probably go once more for another batch and then it's on to...
blueberries! These are in our garden but we'll need to supplement with some U-Pick. We do have enough raspberries in the garden to keep us happy for the rest of the year.
In the non-edible sections of the garden, here's what bloomed this week:
Hydrangea...
...poppy (this one survived the curious fingers)...
...and the lavender keeps the bumble bees busy.###
Read More!Some garden firsts
It was delicious.
The first poppy bloom - I went back to photograph it last night and all the petals were off. I suspect curious little children.
Broccoli several days ago -- it will be dinner tonight.The cabbage is furling, the kale is curling
and the broccoli is broccoling.
It's a good life.
Lezlie was curious about the artichoke plant. Here's a photo I took a couple years ago when it went to bloom (note the industrious bees! well, and the aphids too, sigh.) Click on it to enlarge.
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Read More!Garden variety
We live on an average sized lot in the city. I wander around the yard with the camera and I'm astounded by the variety of color, texture, shape and fragrance that surrounds us. Some are bold and brash, some are subtle, some complex. Here's a sampler from a Saturday stroll. (Click on the images for an expanded view.)
Clover
Contorted catoneaster
Clematis petals
Center of a clematis - the symmetry is stunning
We don't remember what this flower is; here's a closeup of a petal
Bee balm
Coral bells or rock geranium (call the media! there's one in the shape of Buddha! oh...never mind.)
Irises are such shocking flowers.
Lilac - intoxicating scent
Columbines
Sage
Daisy (this is a tiny flower scattered through the lawn).
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Clover
Contorted catoneaster
Clematis petals
Center of a clematis - the symmetry is stunning
We don't remember what this flower is; here's a closeup of a petal
Bee balm
Coral bells or rock geranium (call the media! there's one in the shape of Buddha! oh...never mind.)
Irises are such shocking flowers.
Lilac - intoxicating scent
Columbines
Sage
Daisy (this is a tiny flower scattered through the lawn).Future fruit and other garden goodies
The strawberries are starting to look like...strawberries.
I expect a Munchkin to pop out of this one.
Raspberries....
...and cherries. The race is on! Which will ripen first?
This clematis was a surprise as I wandered around to the back fence.
Apples.
Cabbage is starting to furl.
The first pea!
Guess the plant #1
Can you guess what this plant is? It's blooming right now in our yard in the Pacific Northwest. (You can click on it for a little bigger view.) Hint: it's a member of a family of edibles.
The reveal: Allium (member of the same family as onions and garlic).
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Other things in my world today
I realized this morning that I wanted to write about a few other things in my world besides the books I'm reading or interested in reading - like the beautiful song sparrow aria that greets me from the newly bloomed forsythia every morning as I step outside to go to my studio. Song sparrows don't leave our area in the winter, but their songs are absent during the coldest and darkest months. As they begin to do their family planning and house building, I hear shortened versions of their songs, just a few trills at first. Now, as they get serious about starting their families, the songs expand into full-fledged melodies with all the embellishments.
The daffodils have bloomed so early this year. Even the flowering trees are beginning to bloom. Daffs are so personable - they look like they're smiling, they bounce and dance and nod in the breeze.
So I've changed the title of my blog to reflect more of what you might find here. Now since I still have 6+ months of work to do before the magical retirement day, I'd best get to it. I'll leave you with a photo of the daffodils and the forsythia:
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The daffodils have bloomed so early this year. Even the flowering trees are beginning to bloom. Daffs are so personable - they look like they're smiling, they bounce and dance and nod in the breeze.So I've changed the title of my blog to reflect more of what you might find here. Now since I still have 6+ months of work to do before the magical retirement day, I'd best get to it. I'll leave you with a photo of the daffodils and the forsythia:
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