Today, I visited the gardens close by, of which I am a member, to see how things were growing. A fellow stopped to talk with me when he spotted me waiting for a butterfly to land. He was on holiday with his wife and her friend who had known each other since they were 7... he said he enjoyed photography, too, but preferred taking photos of wild animals/birds to flowers. He chatted on and I wondered if this was the first chance he'd had to get a word in edgewise ;) LOL ...btw, the butterfly didn't land!
Some of the flowers and closeups ~
While I was there I stopped in at the plant nursery, and bought a new member for my rose garden. I like getting things from this location because they propagate plants on site and it's from the same area as where I live. My new rose is called New Dawn and is a climber, so I've planted it against the far end of the rose garden.
After that, I got out the ladder and picked more cherries, did some yardwork, and then decided to paint the back steps. I will finish replacing a couple of boards on the deck tomorrow and hopefully get the rest of the deck painted. It's good to get things done now that I'm home. I'm trying to spend some of each day working around the home/yard and doing something else interesting.
Here's my sunflower opening up:
and I'll leave you with two heart "designs" I found in the gardens:
The flowers are stunning glow! THe colours are as vibrant as they could be.
ReplyDeleteI love sunflowers, they always evoke lovely memories of when my two were small. (children, not sunflowers) They would each plant some seeds and then race the other to have the biggest flower! Grandads would be bothered for bits of bamboo and string to keep them upright. :o)
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I must have a go at making some hearts on the ground in my garden. A really good idea. Thanks for that one. I am so glad you enjoyed your tour around the gardens, you have taken some lovely colourful photos. x
ReplyDeleteYou have been busy! The tours sound delightful and you've shown some pretty amazing photos! I like the closeups very well - so cool to see close-up textures. I hear New Dawn is a fantastic climber - such a pretty face, too.
ReplyDeleteI like the top photo with the wild abundance of flowers and plants. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the hearts, it's not even Valentine's Day, but the flowers were lovely to put on such a show for you!
Hi Daffy ~ Glad you liked the flowers ~ what a great story about the sunflowers and your kids ~ lovely memory. These particular sunflowers were brought to school by a staff member, as little seedlings and they hardly had any dirtwith them and they were limp. I planted them as soon as I got them home, and wondered if they'd survive, but they've come along nicely. They're just short ones and some have more than one flower on a stalk...
ReplyDeleteLouise ~ I see that you love hearts too. I have collected so many heart-shaped rocks, I'm thinking about doing something with them in my rose garden, but not sure what yet. Thanks for your kind comments about my photos :)
Nikki ~ I appreciate your comments re texture on my closeups. When I looked at the closeup of that first purple flower I was amazed at what I saw. Macro capabilities gives us such a wonderful look at the patterns and texture of nature :)
Hi Liv ~ Glad you liked the photo ~ That was just one part of their garden ~ I could have spent the whole day there just looking at everything. Another thing this couple did, which was helpful, was put little name-tag labels beside their bushes and trees so they were identified. Everything was so very well-cared for and it was obvious that the couple who did all the work were in their element.
It's a shame that there wasn't time to look round all the gardens. I think that smaller ones are often more interesting. Like Olivia I like all the colours in that top photo!
ReplyDeleteI love the colour and look of that new rose of yours!
You're lucky that the birds haven't had all the cherries!
Thanks for a lovely entry and photos.
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Hi Flighty ~ Pleased you enjoyed the post :) Actually, I did have enough time to visit more gardens, but the last one was so beautiful, I just went away from it not needing to see anything else ~ the other gardens were quite a distance away as well, and it was a hot day, so I was ready to come home. I really enjoyed seeing the ones I did.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked my new rose :) I was taken with it's healthy look, and it's delicate colour and scent. It has quite a few buds. I get excited each morning to see if any buds are opening in the rose garden, but sometimes it seems like watching paint dry, which I am also doing ... LOL
Yes, the cherry tree hasn't been bothered much by birds this year for some reason. There are many other cherry trees around so perhaps they are "plum" full. The cherries are at their best now, dark, juicy and succulent :)
You have been busy! Garden tours can be such fun. I wish I could have tagged along with you. Love those shots of the various lavender colored flowers. When I am painting my cinder block wall I will think of you painting your deck. But on second thought, at the rate you're going you'll finish way ahead of me!
ReplyDeleteHi Roomie ~ I would have loved to have you along on the home/garden tour, especially with your artistic eye! Hope your painting is coming along well. I painted the rest of the deck today, and replaced the top step. Now everything is back where it belongs, outside anyway! I have spent so much time outdoors recently, that indoors has been neglected, as I've been tramping in and out!
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