Backyard Tour '09

I love taking pics of my flower garden, because I always think if I don't capture them on film, it will be hard to believe their beauty existed. Silly, I know. But here goes:


Just a general pic of the messiness that is my garden.



Paper Lace grows wild all over America, along highways and back roads...
Bet you never really looked at it before, did you?

My mother-in-law has an absolutely crazy green thumb.

She gives me startings of so much...

Like this daisy-like flower she doesn't know the name of.

My favorite garden flower.

Bee Balm.

Some sort of lily, again courtesy of the MIL.

Stages of growth.

The delicate bud.

Starting to come alive.

The finished product.
Stunning. (Daylilly)

Begonias. (Annual)

This is a Hosta flower.

I think some people don't even look at the flower because they are too busy admiring the greens.

A white Coneflower just starting to come out.

(It has since bloomed totally. Will have to get a pic of it for later.)

Another of my many daylillies.

Bee Balm again.

A frequent visitor to my garden.

A Silver-spotted Skipper.

Strangely enough, these moths never visit yellow flowers.

Okaaay....

A female House Sparrow gets a sip.

Another beauty from Barb.

She had the card that gave the correct botanical name of this blue bloomer, but it didn't have the common name. So we've no clue. But I think it dismisses the myth that there are no true blue flowers.

Yet another Daylilly

Balloon Flower (again with the BLUE myth...)

Not sure of name but they are quite striking.

Asiatic Lily

Peace Rose.
I've had this particular rose for nearly twenty years. It was one of my first flowers.

It usually only blooms once a year, but it gives it everything it's got.

Shasta Daisy (seriously the happiest flower, no?)

A Mourning Dove hangs out.

Another Hosta bloom

Name? But it is certainly pretty.

Clematis vine.

Flowers are freakin' huge. Like eight inches across or more.

My pink Peony.

I bring these blooms inside because they are SOOO heavy that they outweigh their stems and droop onto the ground.
And they smell divine - even better than roses.

My white Peony.

The blooms are so big and full. Really old fashioned looking.

My cousin Nickie would love this. When I got it I thought of her because it is so very ORANGE.

The pink Peony before it bloomed.

I guess that's all for now. I have more pics but I have to transfer them to my computer.

So maybe there will be a part two.

Garden Tour: Part 3

I'm about to drive you crazy.

I just got my first digital camera and I am loving it!

First off, thanks SO much to my cousin Jackie - she is the one who explained all about megapixels and zoom and all that techincal jazz. She advised me on what brand to buy and about batteries and memory cards, etc! I ended up with a Pentax Optio M-50 (whatever that means..)
So thanks a million, Jackie.

You may have created a monster.

Todays subject: Garden Tour part 3!

This is probably the last of my flower pictures for this year (I hear you all out there, collectively sighing with relief!)...
My garden is just about ka-put.

Seems about right for the beginnning of fall I suppose.

Maybe it's just me, but I like this picture of these mini black-eyed susans!

Stonecrop (Autumn Sedum Red)

Stonecrop again. It keeps getting darker as autumn draws near.
Today they are really a deep maroon color.

The last of my white coneflowers (sniffle...)

Purple Mums

As you can see, my coleaus are still going strong.

Coleaus

Geranium
(still pretty. they last forever!)

My arbor/veranda that my hubby built last year.

My mother-in-law just gave me the little table and chairs.
Very chic!

That's all for now.

Garden Tour : Part 2

So here's some more shots of my garden.


White lillies
Have to admit, I think this is a gorgeous photo.



Bee Balm (one of my favorites)



White Coneflowers
I actually like them better than the purple I think.



Purple coneflowers (bit blurry, sorry)
Got a bit too close with the lens...

Peach Daylilly
Unusual color, I thought.

Purple Gayfeather (a.k.a. Liatris) and Paper Lace (behind)
The Paper Lace blew in from who knows where but I just let it go cause it's actually kinda pretty.

Daylillies again - aren't they a striking color?

Black-Eyed Susans (another fave)

Reminds me of the Preakness Stakes.



Yet another pic of Bee Balm
Hummingbirds love these!

Light pink (though you cannot tell) Balloon Flowers
(would have been better without the TAG in the middle, duh.)



An overhead view of one of my garden beds

(from my top deck)
It's a bit wild.

And here's a friend of the garden.
I do believe she is the mom of the babies from earlier this spring.
I love birds.

The new front porch, built entirely by the hubby...
His talents are endless.

I do have some more pictures yet to come, so there will no doubt be a Part 3 at some point.