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Mantis on Yellow Lily
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Purples of June
June is a colorful month in my garden.
There seems to be a recurring purple theme.
I do love all purples.
I guess I did this accidently on purpose.
It seems the bees like purple as well.
My giant Cardoon has four babies. Need one?
Lightning bugs and ants love purple, too.
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Hang a Hoya
The blooms of the hoya do not look real.
They are complex and shiny.
They emerge from the stems that hang down below the main part of the plant.
They are best viewed from below, which means the plant must be hung high.
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Off Balance
It has been difficult to do anything lately.
Both my mind and my body are off balance.
Mr Flower lost his father in April and his mother in May.
They lived close-by. I must remind myself that their house is empty.
We stop by to mow the grass, feed the fish and water the plants.
but the house is empty.
There is much to be done now that no one is home.
My arm is in a sling. It hurts to type, or drive, or sleep.
I watched this heron this morning.
It flew through the breeze to land on this dead tree.
It perched perfectly on the thin dead branches.
It walked along the branch with perfect balance despite the rolling waves below.
Focused and graceful. Safe in its own coordination.
Poised on a precarious perch.
It is centered, not scattered
by sadness and pain.
I envy such balance, while I sit in my sling thinking of an empty house.
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Daylily Tour
Forgive me for not including the names. My right arm is in a sling. Typing is painful.
Click on image to enlarge or start slide show.
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Changing Hydrangeas
June is also the month the Hydrangeas bloom in North Carolina.
I have three types which have different bloom configurations.
Big-leaf/panicle Hydrangeas have pom-pom blooms.
My ‘Glory Blue’ has never been true blue no matter what I do.
My lacecap with variegated leaves is true blue,
unless it is purple…
or even pink!
Do not bother lecturing me on soil pH or hybridization.
The rules get broken here. I am puzzled by my hydrangeas.
Except for the Oakleaf Hydrangea, which I can always count on to be white…
until it turns pink.
Hi Ho Hydrangeas!
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Two Other Bright White Lilies
The Easter lilies are not the only white lilies shining on this cloudy day.
I also have a Gentle Shepherd daylily given to me by my sister-in-law, Dana.
It is a slow grower, so I do not share this one often.
My Navona lily has dark pollen which makes its face striking.
This corner was supposed to be only Navona, but…
As luck would have it,
this tall gorgeous yellow arrived in the package with the Navonas by accident.
I am a fan of white flowers, especially at dusk.
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Easter Lilies Bloom in June
There are white trumpets scattered throughout my garden.
These are the remnants of Easters past.
These Lilium longflora serve as the “rice between spice” during daylily season.
Even I get a bit overwhelmed with the colorful chaos of June.
The Easter lilies seem to glow on cloudy days.
Their pollen looks like gold dust and spreads like it.
These lilies are POISONOUS to pets, so keep them out of reach inside and away from the pet pen.
My family was gifted this one by a dear friend from our church.
It is exactly like the others, but this one, “Pat’s Lily,” is my favorite.
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Through Purple to Orange
I love this combination. It is colorful chaos and breaks rules.
Maybe that’s why I love it.
The tall Verbena bonariensis should be in the back, but it moved to the front.
At least Asclepias tuberosa has stayed in it’s place.
I noticed some tiny brown grenades (frass) on its leaves.
Follow the poop to the pupa.
I am happy to see these.
They will by Monarch butterflies in a bit.
I consider butterflies airborne flowers.
Through the purple to the orange you will find someone wearing yellow with black stripes.
That will someday change to an orange and black ensemble and fly away.
My garden amazes me.
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floweralley 