This is my dinner plate dahlia. Every single one I planted was white, but they were huge, eight to ten inches across. I discovered that snipping them right off at the top of the stem and then floating them in a bowl was the best way to bring them into the house. They would die in one day just stuck in a vase but lasted a week or more this way.
Another variety of Dahlia with spiky petals.
A whole bouquet of them.
It is Fall now and the bloom is definitely off the rose as shown here. Still beautiful and interesting though.
I did find a couple of recent bloomers though that were still prize winners. One example.
I have been searching for a Himalyan Blue Poppy for ages and thought that I'd found one finally. However from the sixteen bulbs I planted I've only had three flowers. One was only half formed, another came and went while we were away for four days so this is the only complete one so far. It starts all folded up in a ball so I had to give it some help opening so I could take a picture of it. Unfortunately this is NOT a Himalyan poppy, they look like the big red poppies only blue and this one is small and except for the center it doesn't really look like a poppy to me at all, more like a crocus. Regardless it is pretty although it doesn't stand out in the garden because it is small in size and the color disappears into the green around it it deserves a spot in the blog. The search continues for the illusive H. Poppy.
A new flower for me and it's name is Dipladenia! It's so red that it was hard to get details to show in the picture and it is about two inches in diameter.
This is what the Liatrius looks like when it blooms. They come up as tall spikes and last a long time. The bees are fond of them.
Once the flower is finished this huge seed pod develops. Some can be four or five inches in diameter.
This is a close up of the seed pod.
My daughter and I love these seed pods and she once carried an extremely large and beautiful one home to me from a few blocks away. We were surprised that it didn't blow apart on the way. Most people yank these weeds out of their green spaces as soon as possible but I have been thinking about planting them in my flower bed. If you spray the seed pods with hairspray they last and make wonderful dried arrangements. That's my Martha Stewart tip for the day.
Amaryllis flower are impressive because of their size and rapid growth once they get going. They are at least a good six inches across and can grow an inch or more a day. There are usually four blooms at the same time but this year it is going to do it in two stages.
A solid color Amaryllis from last year.
Below is an Alium or ornamental onion. They stand up nice and tall in a garden and from a distance look like they are floating in the air as the stem disappears into the greenery around it.
The bud.
Starting to open.
Below is a fully open Pasque Flower, more commonly known as a crocus. I don't see any resemblance to a crocus but have seen this label on it whenever I've come across a picture of it.
Vibrant, beautiful water lily.
A Columbine. I like them because they add a lot of color to the garden and reseed themselves for next year.
My favorite in the garden, Icelandic Poppy. They come in orange,white and yellow although the orange isn't as predominant as the yellow. They are prolific and will bloom all summer if you snip the spent flower stalks off right down at their base. They provide movement in the garden and when the bees get in they sway back and forth like a pendulum.
The following two pictures are of an "orb" spider that I found on a yellow poppy plant. I thought it was an expired bud and was about to pick it when moved.It was hard to get pictures of it as it kept moving under the leaves as I followed it with the camera. I really could have used another hand.
Snapdragons from a garden in Alaska. I was surprised at how abundant and healthy the flowers were up there. I thought the nights might be too cool for them but most of the varieties preferred the cool I think.
Alaska had tons of pansies which are well suited to cool temps. As you see from the raindrops we were there on rainy days.
Ornamental Cabbage. They are beautiful, especially in groupings and alternated with white ones.
Sweet smelling, long lasting viola come in a huge variety of colors. I put them in a planter by the gate where they get a bit of sun but mostly shade and as you enter the yard or leave it, the perfume from them is heady.
Christmas Poinsettias! So colorful and pretty in the midst of winter when nothing else is growing.
Bee on a Speedwell, Rocket variety. I will put a picture of the whole plant in next time I get a chance as it is quite showy in my opinion and the bees concur.
As promised below is the whole plant.
A Morning Glory, they absolutely glow from their centers.
Tiny Wave Petunias, great for hanging baskets. Their perfumed smell lends charm to a warm evening sitting on the deck.
This is the most expensive plant in the garden centers but happily a neighbor gave me a piece of her plant. It's called a Japanese Peony. Fortunately it is one of the most hardy plants in my garden and survives most things that nature throws at it. It took a couple of years before I got a bloom on it but the leaves are lacy and delicate and look nice on their own.
These aren't completely open but I wanted to get some pictures in here before I forget.
I like getting close-up's of the seed part of flowers and this one really pleased me. It's the center of a poppy.
I'm titling the next pictures "It's a Jungle in my Garden" as while I was trimming dead flowers I noticed a little bee bum in one of the poppies. I took my sissors and lifted the petal so I could see if it was sleeping or not and to my surprise there was a "zombie" orb spider sucking the brains out of this little bee. It was not easy getting a picture as the spider was quite aware of the camera and kept dragging his prize under another petal. My husband came out to help and here are the results. Hope it doesn't gross you out. Poor little bee.
This raindrop in the center of a leaf looks like a diamond.
My deep purple Iris
Looks like a mouth doesn't it. Fuzzy tongue though.
I like the blurred color effect so included this one as well.
I found a little bee sleeping inside this Calendula flower on a cool day. I thought he was dead at first but he was just dozing away. I like how the petals cocoon him.When they are sleeping like this I always try petting them lightly. They don't like it but I do.
This is a compact form of Sweet William.
A taller, multi colored version of Sweet William
Pinks, they brighten up a garden even on a cloudy day.
This is a Lupin and they are grown from seed. It has taken about three years for the plants to really come on and this year they've done well. They reseed themselves and could become invasive if not kept in check. They are in lots of colors and you never know what you are going to get so you better like surprises.
Below is a picture of my Sweet William which a couple of pictures above I called a "compact form of Sweet William". Well this year they exploded and they are not so compact anymore. I'm quite happy about that though as they are so colorful and smell wonderful.They attract butterflies which have been quite absent from my garden so that's a bonus.
This pink and white flower is called a Sorbet Peony. We were out walking and saw a huge plant in a neighbouring yard and I just had to have a picture of it.
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