garden pics: you MAY see this in MAY....#4

The "real" Daydream.

PNW..great shots. Did you see the bug on your forget me not picture? Its funny how they always
seem to sneak into a picture!


I can't wait for this Iris to open. It is such an unusual color now. A few more days and hopefully no more rain it will be so pretty!

Filled all the bird feeders today. Most are filled with niger seed for the finches. The one feeder with a "songbird" mix seemed to grab their attention. Think they dropped more than they consumed. Picky eaters!

This little one was patiently awaiting his turn.

This group was waiting in the neighbors tree for their turn on the perches. Very busy at the feeders..Oh ..it's friday night!

Thanks RJ..... Yes, when she wants something, she's a big cause of typos!

Neo, I love that color combination! It's very striking. It also explains why I love black mondo grass! lol

Thanks Kathy.... believe me, that was a very clean moment for that desk! Good eye on the book! When it comes to IDing native plants, I've found none better! Precious doesn't usually get up there unless I am on the bench too! So, I knew that she was in search of something.

Bea, feisty sounds sweet! Yep, main coon..... it's that fluffy tail thing usually. The shedding is a bummer, but what can you do!!

Very Pretty Sharron. I love the color of that Tulip!!!

Pretty Birds, pretty birds!

Koi ponds, how wonderful!

Yummy Iris, great photo, pretty birdies!

I tried to shoot tonight before it got too dark, but it was breezy, so hard to get things in focus. There's always tomorrow, if the buds are still there. :)

This Jmaple REALLY IS THIS COLOR! No photoshop. It is blinding cool red.
ShindeShojo. Here it is in someone else's photograph.

http://www.whitmanfarms.com/Product.asp?CategoryID=6&ItemID=263

This message was edited May 9, 2009 8:56 AM

The last tulip. I dug everything up last fall and of course forgot to put them back in the ground until too late.

little promises. can't wait for the apples!

can you see the little bug?

another apple blossom shot

aren't these curled fern heads wonderful?!

funky poppy

I have a frog in my garden, too!
ok, it's really plastic. :) My DDH's mother had it floating in her koi pond.
She gave it to me when she had to move into a smaller house. She had amazing gardens but just could not keep them up anymore. I wanted to rescue some things and bring them home, but she needed everything to stay for the resale value.

So all I got was the frog. :)

This message was edited May 9, 2009 9:06 AM

don't know the name of this one, but I bought it because it was supposed to be blue and white, but the photo showed more of a clear sky blue. oh well, it is still very pretty.

Lovely pics Neo! I really like those royal blue and white columbine. they have a striking contrast to them. Neat "fiddle" picture!

This is off topic. But, sometime back in Jan. or Feb. when we were getting snow and many of us were having a heck of a time getting in and out of out own driveways.... I know that I mentioned that had a short, but steep driveway at the place where I grew up. When there was a lot of snow, we'd park at the top and take sleds down the driveway. Well....here's the short but sweet driveway! My sister came over for the weekend and we went to visit the place we grew up in today. Imagine taking sleds with groceries on them down that when it's covered in snow!!

E ticket ride for sure!!

we were both very, very surprised to see that the originial swingset was still intact and functional. another tree..."beam" ... was bolted between the two cedars here and the ropes were tied into hooks that were drilled into the beam. Everything's still original too! The branches need to be trimmed to be fully funtional, but oh well, it's still there and still works!! That's my youngest nephew.

Oh I agree Sally... Most definitely!! The better part was that when we lived there, you had to make the curve of the pavement. you couldn't just go straight into the grass. At that time, if you went straight, you'd hit he basketball pole (cemented in ground) and a telephone pole, or a fence.

What a beautiful spot for a swing!! And so neat the kids could see where you grew up.

OUCH!!

lol... definitely! you learned to steer quite quickly.

I agree it was a perfect spot for a swing. We loved it. Unfortunately just my youngest nephew came today. The others decided to stay with a friend in Eugene. Which is good, they'll have fun there too. I think that they'll appreciate seeing that place more when they're older anyhow.

That would have been my thinking spot. Funny how kids drift away for a few years (just different priorities) then come back later to find out what they missed. LOL

very true!!

And yes, that was definitely a favorite thinking spot. especially on days like today!

Are you going to the hardy plant sale at the fairgrounds tomorrow?

ohhhhhh...... I sooooo wish that I were. :-( Unfortunately I have to work. I actually tried to get a couple of hours off too so that I could go, but someone else had alrady scheduled the day off of work. So, I'm stuck. there's also one going on at Alton baker park tomorrow which I'm told is supposed to be just as big and just as good. I'm so jealous. Buy something interesting while you're there!!!

Hope so, DH is leaving for CA early in the morning. So I'm on my own for a week or so. Mom's 95th bday was today, I gave her a hanging color pot for the deck, but I'll have to find something for Mother's Day. It will be fun to look.

OH wow... A week almost to yourself!!! Hopefully you really get to enjoy it. congrats on your mom's b-day. It almost must be good to have the commotion of the day over with. Maybe some peace tomorrow? After the plant sale that is! lol

The commotion for Mom's bday lasts all month. We tend to take advantage of all the bday lunches she can handle. Already did one at the casino in Florence. The rest will wait until DH gets back. I usually spend this time doing heavy duty housework. Shampooing carpets for example. I don't have him underfoot. But I will take a couple of days off, shopping for plants isn't work. LOL It was so gorgeous today and I had to spend it getting his stuff ready. Just pack him and his stuff in the van in the morning and wait for phone calls all day until he gets to his brother's place. I want him to check in, so I know it's o.k. After a few days his daughter takes over, until he gets to her place.

I just got a notice from DG that my membership is due. Wow, that means I've been here for a whole year! Time flies when you're having fun!

Leaving for Farmers Market in a few in Albany

Sunny and nice just like yesterday YEAH...got so much of the garden weeded that is for the wedding next month. Still need to move plants and plant some new ones then put the stepping stones down.

In the meantime, make the wedding dress, do iris crosses and take iris pictures:)

Hope all you Mothers have a super Mothers Day tomorrow

D

In Lebanon

Ah, the swing shot is precious! To think that it was still there. If it were my childhood home, it would have rotted by now. :)

thanks Neo! I thought for certain that it would have as well! lol We were both really surprised to see it there and still safe.

Dee..... nice job. Have fun today. it should be a great day to be there!

It soulds as if you have a busy month in front of you Sally, but hopefully you'll get a little rest this week. have fun at the plant sale today!

Things you MAY see this MAY,
probably NOT, but wouldn't it be FUN!

"Honey, I wanted another red Jmaple, not blue!
Please take it back to the nursery, maybe someone will want it."

:)

OK, neo. Now every picture you post will have to have a qualifier: photo shop or not! ---Like you did for the pretty red red JMaple.

lol.... good one Neo. Sometimes we just gotta have some color in our lives huh!?!?!

The red red Jmaple is for real! I am always tempted to tone it down, because it is so intense it is hard to believe that is the real color. That is why I let you guys know. :)

It is a ShindeShojo. I saw a pink tree at a Vancouver BC botanical garden and just had to have it. The specialist there could not find a receipt for it or identify it for me, so he sent my photo to a Jmaple specialist at the BC university. He could not identify it either. The ShindeShojo was the closest one I could find, but it is still not the right one, too magenta for me.

http://www.pacificcoastmaples.com/japanese-maples/shin-deshojo-japanese-maple-trees.html

Below is a a photo of the pink tree in Vancouver. Such a true soft pink. Still a mystery.




This message was edited May 9, 2009 9:11 AM

The photos here show a shindeshojo that is bright, but also one that is softer. Maybe it depends on the specific tree because sometimes the photos show them even as orange.

http://www.barthelemymaples.co.uk/gallery.html

The one I bought it a real show stopper, just not want I wanted. The quest continues. . .

One way to bring out the color in your photos is to shoot on an overcast day. I prefer to shoot in the evening just at sunset, when the light turns red because of the thick atmosphere. It slow down the other light waves but the red wave is long and travels better.

Even if the plant is in the shade, the red light is bouncing around the garden and it makes everything richer in color.

If you want to pop the yellow greens, shoot in the early morning when the light is clear. In the morning the water has not started to evaporate up into the atmosphere, and pollution has settled during the night.

Neo, was it in early or mid spring when you saw the pink tree? It looks to me as if it's a tree that's in progress of changing from one color to the next.