Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Summer Bliss

I don't know about you, but one way for me to unwind after a long day at work is to walk around my garden beds every afternoon ... yes, you heard it right, every single afternoon! ha ha My plants are beginning to show their beauty, so I took pictures of some of 'em that are in bloom.
I am sharing nature's beauty with all my blogger friends
... want to come and walk with me? ;)
All images can be enlarged.

Oriental Poppy - delicate and absolutely beautiful! Some of my poppies, the old-fashioned ones, multiply every year; they re-seed, require little care, but sadly they have a short blooming season. I have 3-4 other varieties but they are not blooming as yet except these.


... another poppy variety, a flaming beauty, don't you think? Oriental poppies do not like their roots being disturbed, so be sure to keep the root ball intact when transplanting.


Iris - looks so exotic and elegant! Irises provide so much joy and beauty for so little effort! I also use the leaves in floral arrangements for dramatic effects. This pic was taken in late spring.


Iris - I love its soft, pastel color. As in my previous post, Irises are available in myriad colors!


Nora Barlow Columbine - double blooms, excellent cut flowers! I adore this variety!


Columbine - another variety.


... and more columbine! he he he


Campanula or Canterbury Bell? - vivid blue bells. I also have the old-fashioned kind but they came and went before I was able to take pictures. ;)


Daylily - a beauty for a day! lol They are called that because each flower is only good for a day. Each stem, though, has several buds which will bloom one after another all through the summer. I love the fringed petals of this one. Hardy, and can withstand drought conditions. They are low maintenance beauties! You can't beat that! ha ha


Wild sweet pea - a real charmer and a favorite in aromatic garden! I like them because each bloom resembles a butterfly. You have to watch them though because they can be invasive. They multiply so fast even if you don't have a green thumb. ;)


Dahlia - there are so many varieties available today. They look as gorgeous in bouquets as they do in garden beds. I love them because the more you cut the flowers, the more they reward you with more blooms. And they bloom from early summer to late fall. Most of my dahlias are not ready to be shown yet.


Dahlia - I haven't tried this yet, but I read somewhere that if you dip the stem ends in boiling water for a second, it will make the blossom last longer in a floral arrangement. huh? ;)


Foxglove - I don't remember planting this one, a "gift" from the birdies, perhaps? ;)
Hummingbirds can't resist them.


And I'm sure you've heard a lot about my peonies. lol What I love about them is that the flowers provide a long-lasting and spectacular display from early to late summer.



There you have it my friends! Hope you enjoyed the walk and ... hope I inspired you to do some gardening too! lol

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYBODEEEEEE!!!

19 comments:

Mari said...

They are so beautiful, Nance. I enjoyed all the pictures of your flowers. Rewarding isn't it?

Have a glorious July 4th.

Tracy said...

LOVE this floral focus, Nance! Your gardening blooms are looking so beautiful... Happy 4th to you & yours! :o) ((HUGS))

Beth in NC said...

Wow, your flowers are GORGEOUS!!! I'd spend my time out there too!

Thank you so much for your comment and for your prayers!

Have a blessed 4th!

Love,
Beth

Teresa~ Gardening with Soule said...

Your garden has many of the same flowers as I do. Thanks for visiting my blog, it gave me the chance to see yours. I will keep looking around to find info on that garden you told me of. Have a happy 4th of July.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Nance, Thanks for visiting my blog. I am enjoying looking at yours. Your Irises are fabulous. We had some pretty ones---but they are LONG gone here in TN.

Hope you come back to my blog. I'll check yours also.

Have a wonderful 4th.
Hugs,
Betsy

Teresa~Gardening with Soule said...

I too walk around my garden every day just to see what is new there. It is very relaxing as well as fun to find something blooming that wasn't there yesterday. Thanks for showing your garden. It is so great!

Tita Beng said...

Lovely flowers you have there, Nance. Those colorful flowers of yours can truly uplift the spirit of anyone who'll be near them.

I only wish I have a garden like yours!

lynn'sgarden said...

Hi Nance, I'm glad you'd left a comment on my blog so I could find you! You have such a wonderful collection of plants..I'm starting to get into irises and you are right, there are many varieties and colors. My first love, though, is the daylily :) Looking forward to getting to know you, Nance (my sister's name!)
Lynn

Sardonyx said...

You have a nice garden with beautiful flowers. I can't remember their names :-) by the way thanks for visiting my blog.

docgelo said...

Thanks for sharing the name of your blooms, I'm learning myself.
This wasn't thought to us during my pre-med Botany class in Biology, he he he.. I have not known an Iris until your post. :D
Thanks Ms. Nance.
And Happy Belated 4th of July to you.

Meryl (proud pinay) said...

awesome! such a wonderful garden full of beautiful and colorful flowers! how i wish i have a garden full of flowers too! ^_^

Nance said...

Thanks Mari. Can't wait to see pictures of your veggies too. Have you started harvesting some already?
You can't get fresher than that! ;)

Hi Tracy,
Happy 4th to you too...good news, we didn't get any rain on that day! yay!

Beth,
Thank you! Hope you're feeling better.

Nance said...

Hi Teresa,
We must have good taste! lol
Ain't though? so relaxing to go and admire them. It never cease to amaze me how each shape, color, size, etc are so different from one another. they each all have their own beauty! ;)


Betsy,
I'll sure go back to your blog...I enjoyed my stay the last time! ;)

Nance said...

Hi Lynn,
I love daylilies too...only this year most of their buds were eaten by a family of deer! that includes my oriental and asiatic lilies :(
There are a few buds left and part of my routine in the afternoon is to go spray them with my concoction of red chili powder, dish detergent and egg white. i heard it somewhere that it really works!

Nance said...

Thanks Sardonyx. I receive garden catalogs almost everyday in the mail, that's how I got to know their names! ;) Thanks for the visit too, please don't be a stranger! :)


Hi Meryl,
Start with small one...it's emotionally rewarding, then you get addicted! ha ha ha

ghee said...

oh,I thought I had commented on this post already?hmmm...

anyway,I awe your huge garden full of beautiful and interesting flowers and plants!!you really have a green thumb.and yes,I can relate so well...ako nga,i only have a very tiny yard,pero I visit my garden in the morning and at night,haha.my neighbors and friends visit my place and my neighbors do come whenever im out making kalikot to my flowers and plants,hehe.

keep up the good work,Nance!!

Tikno said...

Nice flowers

RedLan said...

Oh my ganda ng mga flowers dyan, nakakatanggal stress! kapag nakita 'to ng officemate/friend ko, mainggit yun kasi she loves violet color.

Vk-mahalkaayo said...

sus ko, ang ganda ng mga flowers mo sa garden.....i saw some of these when i go my short walk, wla kasing garden yon, lakad sa kapitbahay at gets some pics of their flowers in their garden.

really, i saw these poppy flowers here, last month lang, nakita ko light green, pink, yellow and redwine color, nabigla ako, kasi the first time nakita ko, marami palang kulay....akala ko lang like your flower-orange color.

ay enjoy na enjoy ako sa garden mo, ang daming mga magandang bulaklak....

sigi, thanks for inviting me to your garden.........

´til next ha?