Floral Friday - Bloomers Large and Small

Happy Friday! I'm excited to share a few of my favorite bloomers with you today, but first I want to share a mystery with you! Well, not really a mystery - more of someone's mistake. I ordered a few things from Gurneys online this spring. One of them was this >>>






Isn't it lovely? It's called a red prairie mallow, and I thought the hummers, bees and butterflies would love it! The description called the color 'carmine'. Mine is blooming right now, but look what I got >>>



The blooms are kind of a red-violet, and the blooms are only slightly larger than a quarter. I think they are pretty, but not exactly what I expected!


The orange 'poker plant' is blooming again, and since I didn't get pictures of the first blooming for you, I thought I would share one of the new ones.




And I'm so excited, because one of my favorites for this time of year is blooming - it's the pink hardy hibiscus. It's so pretty with the pale pink and deep red eye! Here are some buds in various stages of maturity >>>

And one more of the burgundy hibiscus just so you can see how they look when blooming >>>

And then about a week after the bloom is gone >>>

Those seed pods form really fast, and before long they'll be full of mature seeds which I'll scatter in other parts of the yard with hopes that one or two will make it to plants next spring. Of course the birds will get their share, too!

And now, the best of the best - the blazing stars are blooming! These plants came from plants that originally belonged to my maternal grandmother, and have been handed down to my mother and now me. They grow very tall - probably close to 8 feet!

As far back as I can remember, my parents had these growing beside their propane gas tank, right along the roadside.

But I don't remember them ever getting as tall as mine do, although mine probably get a bit more sun than theirs did.

In this next picture, that's the roof line on the front of our house that you see, so I'm taking the picture from standing position, looking up toward the blooms.

There's a funny story about the blazing stars! Back in the 70's, some local kids decided those were pot plants. I guess the leaves do look kind of like pot, so they would occasionally try to come pick a few of the leaves for a cheap (free) high. What they didn't know was that my dad worked nights, and even when he wasn't working he tended to sleep all day and stay up all night. He would go sit in the shadows, with an empty gun by his side. If the kids would stop to try to pick leaves, he would wait until the boys got out of the car and up to the plant, then he would click the hammer on that gun and say "I think you boys might want to move on along now!" He had no intention of shooting anyone, and the gun was always empty, but he sure got a kick out of doing that, and of telling the story to anyone who would listen.

On Sunday we are going back to Lake Chatuge for a day trip. Hubby bought a 3-man raft and has decided we're going to the lake to play in the raft, so we plan on spending the day. Hubby is like a little boy with a new toy, and I didn't realize he'd never had (or been in) one. He's not much of one for swimming, so I told him he'd better plan on getting wet, because those things aren't the most float-worthy things in the world. But I'm looking forward to watching him play, and playing with him.

Okay, that's all from me today - I'm off to see if I can find any yard sales, then go to the grocery store to pick up some things for Sunday's picnic. Have a great weekend folks! Becky

Floral Friday - A Few Blooms

Happy Friday, and Happy Fourth of July Weekend!!! I just wanted to share a few bloomers with you, and a couple of other things, too.

First, the garden phlox is just blooming and blooming, and there are tons of babies coming up around the bottom. Obviously she's a happy camper!



The squash are still blooming, and being pollinated by the bees, but I think the bunnies must be enjoying the squash, because I'll see them at about 2-3 inches long, then they disappear. First chance I have, I'll be putting circles of flour around the plants to keep the bunnies out.



The white foxglove's big, main stem is done, but there are bunches of smaller stems blooming, and it's so pretty!

The cleome is blooming, and I just love that purpley rose color! Many people know these as spider plants. They re-seed very vigorously, so I hope to collect a bunch of seeds later on.

This is a bud from the burgundy hardy hibiscus. Those blooms just burst open over night!

And this is how they look once they open - aren't they gorgeous??? The blooms are about 5 - 6 inches across.

And just a quick photo of my tomatoes! Can't wait until these 'Pink Girls' are ready to eat!

Well, that's all for today. I hope to have a make-over project to show you in a few days. We got my dad home from the hospital yesterday, and he seems to be feeling better for now. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers! Have a blessed Independence Day! Becky

Floral Friday - More Pink Flowers, and Living Flowers!

Happy Friday, Friends! I am so excited that spring officially starts today! The rebirth, the new beginnings, the warmer temps and of course, the promise of green shoots bursting forth from the ground! If it wasn't for the over-powering presence of pollen, it would be THE perfect season, but of course, the pollen is just another indication of life, blooming, growing, so I guess I'll deal with it again this year as I have for the past 50+ years! The pollens that bother me the most are the trees - oak, pine, etc.; and they are also the pollens that make our cars - no matter what the color of the paint job - yellow for a few weeks in spring!

Today's 'Floral Friday' pictures were taken in my yard on August 4, 2008 - the same day as the pictures from Wordless Wednesday earlier this week. It was one of those magical days when the butterflies and hummingbirds cooperated with my need to take pictures!

First up are a couple of pictures of the hardy hibiscus. I have several of these plants, and was so lucky to get a couple of the pink with burgundy centers seen here, as well as one of the solid deep burgundy. Maybe this year I'll get some pictures of those.

Note the green butterfly inside the bottom hibiscus in the second picture. I just love these beautiful flowers - and they are one of largest bloomers in my garden. In years past I've had dinner-plate sized blooms, but I think the drought of the past few years has caused the blooms to be smaller than usual. These, however are probably 8 inches or more across!

And this bright pink zinnia, being visited by a tiny bee!

And of course there are the living flowers in my garden! I have a hummingbird feeder that attaches to a window in my breakfast room with suction cups. It holds on very well, and the biggest problem with it is ants! But I have my ways of getting rid of them, lol! Anyway, the day I took these pictures, I sat my camera on the window ledge inside, just an inch or two from where the hummer was perched. I go visit them a lot, so they get used to me. They don't like sudden movements, but as long as I'm calm they will sit there and let me watch them with no problems.

Please excuse the quality of these photos - I think they are pretty good considering they are being taken through a double paned window!

I have another, larger feeder hanging at the outer edge of my front porch, and one hummer sits in the oak tree a few feet away and 'protects' that feeder from the other hummers that try to come and feed. When she is sitting in the tree, I'll go stand right beside the feeder and talk and sing to her. She will come and feed (with the feeder just inches from my head) and hover in font of my face, just fussing at me! And I'll fuss right back, telling her if it wasn't for me she wouldn't have that wonderful sugar water to enjoy, so she should best be nice to me! As you can probably tell, I'm right partial to the hummers! I enjoy all the birds that visit my feeders, but the hummers are special!

I hope you've enjoyed your visit to my garden today! Before long (as soon as the danger of frost has passed) the team of Camellia Cottage gardeners (hubby and myself) will be out raking the leaves off the young plants and looking to see which of our babies survived another year. As things progress, I hope to share more pictures with you, so stay tuned!

Wishing you a wonderful first day of Spring! Becky