What's Blooming Today? #11

Congratulations Anita!! Very nice, 4 wheel drive?

Al, Firepot is stunning!!!

Louise, i'm with Victor..keep shooting and you start seeing the difference. It took me a while to "learn" my camera and im still learning. Got the camera 18 months ago and just when I think I've got it, DS will pick it up and say "Did you know if you turn this you can ajust this?" or something to that effect and I just groan. The phlox is lovely btw.

I notice the bee's are very busy at this time of the year. These 2 had no problem gathering the pollen side-by-side. "You take the blue flower, I got the 2 tone."

Thanks Celeste - 4wd - now I don't have to hurt my back if the snow is too heavy to shovel.

I did a test. When the Columbine seeds were ready on the plant for harvesting, I direct sowed a bunch in a spot that would like plants for next year. There a tons of babies. I took Mother Nature's lead. Now I want some Hollyhock for next year too. The seed has come. I thought I'd try direct sowing those seeds along with a plant that I got at 50% off at the nursery. If I'm not mistaken, those of you that have hollyhock, the seed is about getting ready now. Right?

Upon googling info on the hollyhock, I found this- http://www.wcfcourier.com/growingthings/?p=27 . I thought it so interesting. This is the passage that I enjoyed.

It's true Anita. Martha Stewart had a story about outhouses when she did a piece on hollyhocks years ago. Their seeds should be ready now and can be planted now - that will give you flowers next year. After that they should drop their own seeds and you'll have a bed that keeps on blooming for you.

Columbine self-seed with wild abandon on paths with wood chips (it doesn't have to be a heavy layer) and then you can just let them fight it out as to who lives and who expires.

I always get so excited when I see the 'new' columbines sprouting. They are definitely my favorite flower. I want at least one plant of every kind of columbine!! Can you imagine what a riot of color that would be?

I get carried away ....

I'm on the same path as you Candyce

Thanks for your company, Anita

I love them, too.

Me too. Lots of cool new ones the last couple of years.

pirl that's a beautiful shot and what an array of colors you have. I need to get more colors than pain old puprle!!

I liked this one this year.

Oh ya, one of the best perennials. You never know where or what color will pop up. I really like everything about them and so do the hummers.

Not to mention the leaf miners.

Hi all! Thanks again for all of the lovely posts!

Anita- congratulations on your new auto-plant-mobile! Very nice!

Al- Thanks for the info on how to store the Dahlia tubers. I am not sure where to store them; where do you keep yours? I'm not sure if they need light, what temperature is best, etc. The stunning Firepot has joined Sir Alf on the "must-have" list for next year.

After the high temps and humidity we had thunderstorms last night, so today I'll be doing garden cleanup of things that were knocked over. I was out there at 10pm last night, in between storms, with stakes and twine making sure at least my Cleomes were safe.

Here's someone literally "hanging out" on my buddleja this morning.

Since we are sharing our four-legged family members, here's mine....

Shasta (posed in front of her namesake)

Victor, what is the name of that columbine?

Shasta is absolutely adorable.

aspen, Shasta is beautiful and I love those topaz eyes!!

What a face! She's SO pretty!

Beautiful dog, aspen. Candyce, I have to check on the name.

Aspen - Shasta is awesome....such great eyes!!

Pirl - love your columbine bed! And I also like the one you posted, Victor. I did some winter sowing of my bright red columbine's seeds last year, just behind my stone wall. Some seeds must have washed down into the wall because I had a nice sized plant come out of the wall between a couple of the stones. It had a ton of blooms that stuck out of the wall for quite some time. I love them!

Celeste - that's a great shot of the bees on the neighboring (gorgeous) plants!

Victor - is it the one named after a Darwin relative? My daughter has it and doesn't like it. I'll trade for hers - I think it's lovely.

Pixie - thanks. They're 99% self-seeded in that spot and they get much less leaf miner disease than in other areas, like the back yard.

Aspen - Shasta's photo makes it look like the perfect Easter bonnet for such a good looking, regal pet. Love those eyes!

That is a nice pic of Shasta aspen. My dahlia tubers are kept in my unheated attic. Needs to be at a steady temp.40-50 degrees.

Aspen, your Shasta is a beautiful Weimaraner, love her name too.
Every ones flowers are just lovely, here is on I like this tome of year a Joe- pye- weed

This is one I dod not know the name, lost the tag, perhaps some of you know

oops, wrong one, only an arrangment

Trying again...here it is the nameless one

Maria, I believe thats Coreopis. Here's the link in plant files.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/995/
I love those little pink flowers!

A nameless red dahlia, grown from seed given to me by a DG person.

That's one beautiful red, very stunning.

Nice Pirlene.

I'll second the coreopsis there.

Maria - I love your pink coreopsis...I have never had any luck with the pink ones...only the yellow.

Pirl - such a bright, cheerful dahlia..........love that you grew it from seed!

Practicing using the macro........here's our first sunflower to bloom this year. The bee didn't come out very clear.

The bee is clear. You'll figure out how much you can zoom and still focus. I like the geometric pattern of the seeds.

Great photo, Louise! I love sunflowers!

Like Al says, the more we practice, the better we will get with our macro settings.

Here's a shot of some of the snapdragons with a few marigolds.

Thanks, Al...you are very kind! Sunflowers are my DH's favorite. He plants them every year.

The beautiful Gloriosa Lily today.

Very nice Louise - see, already getting better! Soon you'll be so close you almost hit the bee. I've done that a few times.

Pirl and Candyce - the Columbine is 'Clementine Red'.

My yellow garden mums are just bursting this week!

Thanks, Candyce...you are so right! I love the colors in both of your pics....so pretty!!

If you look closely, you can see "Monk" on the stone wall here.....in the bottom left corner, you can also see the remains of the columbine growing out of the stone wall......

Thank you, Victor. I have added it to my 'wish list'.

Gentle hosta bloom today.

Great colors, Candyce. I guess fall just isn't that far away.

Thanks, everyone. Since people are practicing with bees and macro I decided to practice with Fstops and shooting via aperature:

I love this one!

This one keeps blooming facing toward the grape colored fence. How annoying! I cut it off and brought it inside.