No Fences, No Flowers

| Flower Roberts

I am home again for a day. The wedding was lovely and Rose was lovely. It was a wonderful weekend with treasured friends.

This morning I toured the gardens. I was lamenting that my beautiful flowers were in ugly fences.

Then I arrived at the spot where South Seas should have been blooming. There were empty stalks instead. I had forgotten to put its fence ring back up.

There is a lesson here. I do not like the fences. They are an ugly addition to a beautiful garden, but…

NO fences, NO flowers.

FLOW

The Dress and the Daylily

| Flower Roberts

I was out this morning photographing one of my favorite daylilies, South Seas.

As I was admiring its gorgeous color I envisioned a dress of this fabulous hue.

This reminded me that I must chose a dress to wear to Rose’s friend’s wedding this Saturday.

Rose is a bridesmaid and will be in a lovely eucalyptus green gown and gold shoes.

My dress for the event? I have chosen a midi that just happens to have that lovely color smeared on it. It’s old and its blue.

I hope it won’t be too much with red shoes!

FLOWER

One Big Devil and One Little Devil

| Flower Roberts

I was afraid that there might be NO devils in my garden this year. They were slow to show.

Finally the big devil sent up its creepy stalk and a bunch of leaves.

Then I spotted a spotted sprout.

The third little devil has not emerged yet.

I do love this weirdo plant, Amorphophallus konjac

FLOW and a weirdo

A Garden Check-up

| Flower Roberts

Hundreds of beautiful blooms and hundreds of large weeds greeted me upon my return to my garden this weekend.

I am home with my new computer. My usual computer, mouse and keyboard are in use at Mama’s. Nothing is like it should be anywhere.

I will just share photos of the blooms, not the weeds.

My dahlias have been in pots too long and must be put in the ground today.

Forgive my lack of labeling. If you really want to know a name, ask in comments. I will answer using my phone.

CLICK ON pics to make them full size. They got cropped in the gallery.

I have a lot to say but no time to say it and no one to say it to. Next post is about the Devil.

FLOW on the GO

Refreshed by Rain

| Flower Roberts

We had a line of strong storms come through last night. I was grateful for shelter. There was not much damage but a lot of rain washed everything clean.

I will feature this week’s daylily blooms. I have had a hard time remembering their names. A few years of serious stress has done a number on my hard drive. I was a bit shocked by my memory failure. I am thankful that I have kept thorough records to fall back on.

Here is the first wave of daylilies this season, refreshed by last night’s rain.

Whooperee A deer favorite because the blooms are big and juicy.
Breed Apart I appreciate this color combo and the ruffles on the petals.
Emperor’s Butterfly I love how the throat goes from green to yellow then cream.
Yabba Dabba Doo The blooms are not symmetrical but the plant looks like a party when in full swing.
Peacock Alley Simple beauty of nice symmetry.
Lavender Rainbow My two favorite colors together. The ants love this one also.
Dixie Boy Small and tight blooms but the bright colors demand attention.
Nutmeg Spice I planted this one right beside the walkway because it is a strong bloomer and I adore its colors and ruffled edge.

I want to end this post with a photo of the sky. I look at the sky a lot. It seems alive much of the time. If you do not watch the sky, you should. There is magic up there.

FLOWER

The Gorgeous Mistake

| Flower Roberts

All these lilies were supposed to be white ‘ Navona’ lilies, but some rogue bulbs slipped into the bag.

Navona Lily from Van Zyverden

I do not have a name for these beauties, but I am so happy they stowed away in the package.

This corner needed some taller and brighter lilies against the fence post, tree and Jackman clematis.

What a gorgeous mistake to happen in just the right spot.

FLOW

Raindrops on Dunce Caps

| Flower Roberts

My tiny Chinese Dunce Cap / Orostachys boehmeri repels the raindrops.

The waters’ cohesion to itself is stronger than any adhesion to this succulent’s surface.

That is why the drops are perfectly round. They are repelled by the waxy cuticle of the plant.

This is called beading. Its waxy surface keeps water in as well as out.

I love seeing all the tiny orbs caught by the leaves.

Water working miracles.

Go H20!

FLOW

Captain Romance Loved the Rain

| Flower Roberts

Captain Romance liked the rain. It needed water, that was plain.

‘Captain Romance’ calla/ Zantedeschia

This plant was looking thirsty and limp. Now it has plumped up. Callas need a lot of moisture.

Raindrops add to the flower portrait. Dew does, too. Water adds sparkle and shine.

I love how the coloration and venation highlight the shape of its spathe. They remind me of champagne flutes.

More callas to come.

FLOW

In Love with a Giant

| Flower Roberts

I usually fall in love with tiny plants, but there is one giant that has my heart from May to July.

Cardoon is a high drama plant. I have it in a slope so it can be viewed from below, beside and above.

Its spiky leaves have a blue hue. It matches its neighbors, the poppies.

Its stems are striped.

When it blooms I put on purple and stand inside it to have my picture taken.

I LOVE this giant!

#mudpuppypuzzle

Rose and I did this lovely puzzle Butterflies of North America during the rain.