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.

Visiting Home

| Flower Roberts

I am visiting home today. I have been touring the garden slowly with my eyes wide open, like I am in a strange land on high alert.

Five days away is a long time in a garden. I must pay attention. There have been visitors. Things have happened.

The Oakleaf Hydrangea has burst into bloom.

Its scent is only slight due to the cool air and wind.

Oakleaf hydrangea

The last of the poppy blooms are a favorite with the bees this morning.

The Verbena bonariensis is tall and lovely. It has such geometric stems.

Verbena bonariensis

The Black Knight buddleia has started to bloom.

Black Knight buddleia

I spied the first Four O’ Clock flower.

Some critters have moved things and dug holes and left waste. Nothing dramatic so far.

I am glad to visit home, but it is not the same as being home. That will have to wait. I am needed more elsewhere.

FLOW

P.S. WORDPRESS just informed me that I started this site 8 YEARS AGO TODAY! WOW

The Magic Marble

| Flower Roberts

The title of this post was supposed to be “Will the Magic Come Back?” My question was answered while I prepped for this post.

Rose gave me a tiny fairy door and shrub for Mother’s Day. I used to do fairy blog posts, but have not done one in a long time. It has felt like the magic had left.

I lost my daddy you see. I have to be an adult now. I still talk to him. Sometimes when strange things happen I ask out loud “Was that you Daddy?” Of course, he does not answer.

This week I cleaned out some drawers at their house. There was a bag of marbles in Daddy’s dresser. The old kind with stripes. I put the bag back. I thought it odd that Daddy kept marbles in his top drawer.

Today, in my garden I found a striped marble in the place I had just prepped for the blog post “Will the Magic Come Back?”

I did not see the marble before. Maybe it was unearthed as I watered the stones to clean them for photographs for this post.

I would like to believe that the fairies and my Daddy were answering my question. YES! The magic is back.

You believe whatever you want.

FLOW