Gardens – Serendipity – Seeking Intelligent Life on Earth

SPIDERWORT – Marilyn Armstrong

Flower of the Day

They are true blue, but for some reason no matter what camera I use, show up as purple. Something about the way the light hits it. I finally got them back to their natural color, which is a rich, cornflower blue.

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GIANT THISTLES – Marilyn Armstrong

Flower of the Day

They just showed up in my garden a few years ago. The leaves looked like thistle leaves, but rather huge. Eventually, the flower popped up and it looked like a thistle — but huge.

I discovered, after minimal research, that these flowers are called “Giant Thistles” because they look exactly like thistles, but are much bigger. Unlike regular thistles, they have no thorns.

The bees love them, so I love them too. They have been spreading around the garden for several years.

OUT-OF-FASHION – Marilyn Armstrong

FUCHSIA – OUT-OF-FASHION?

When I discovered my favorite hanging flowers are officially “out of fashion” — meaning I can’t buy any, at least not in Uxbridge, I got depressed. I never imagined flowers could go out-of-fashion. It’s bad enough that I’m obsolete, but fuchsia? My glorious pink and purple flowers that I love … and which grow perfectly on our rather shady deck?

So imagine this morning’s delight when I realized that somehow, without much thought or attention, I’d grown orchids. I’d seen the shoots, but I didn’t see any buds. Watered lightly, left them to the light and sent them my best hope for a rapid blossoming.

One of them is blooming and there are many more buds waiting. I think only one stalk will flower, but I could be wrong.

I’d like to say that while these are some of the most beautiful flowers to look at, they are amazing tricky to photograph. They are so translucent you don’t get the flower colors as much as you get the glow of the sunlight through them. And that is not a sunny window.

I will happily accept all congratulations, even though to be fair, I didn’t do anything except water them when they got really dry. Sometimes, that’s all you really need to do.

I sure hope that these don’t go out of fashion. Between my obsolete self, my crumbling home, and variously disabled body … well — out-of-fashion is possibly the kindest way to put it.

FLOWER OF THE DAY – COLUMBINE – Marilyn Armstrong

FLOWER OF THE DAY

COLUMBINE BLOOMING – Marilyn Armstrong

Flower of the Day – Columbine Blooming

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We had one sunny day and the columbine bloomed. It is still blooming and this, being a relatively long-lived flower, will continue blooming for at least another week.

I DREAM OF LILAC TIME – Marilyn Armstrong

Flower of the Day – Lilac Time

Lilacs are my favorite flower.

Possibly, it is also my favorite scent. It all started with when Owen was born. May 7th in the middle of lilac season.

Back in the olden golden days, you were allowed to bring flowers into dreary hospital rooms and for the few days in the hospital — I think back then it was three or four — my room was absolutely full of lilacs.

They were blooming and everyone went outside and cut them into huge bouquets.

Of course, you can’t do that anymore. There might be a bug on a branch or someone might be allergic and hospital rooms can’t be cheery or hospitable. They have to be barren and easy to clean.

I ought to mention that the previous song was the top song of 1928 and was a big seller for many other performers, too. I know music has changed, but I don’t know any other songs about lilacs, so this one will have to do.

Despite this, I do love lilacs and I am glad we have a huge lilac tree. It would be nice if it were a little smaller and I could see the lilacs without a super zoom lens.

I planted some miniature Korean lilacs when we first moved here and they were doing pretty well, but I think the past three or four winters just killed them off. That and having oak tree branches, which are often the size of ordinary trees, fall on them. I could find no sign of them at all this spring.

Our badly damaged old lilac tree is blooming and I thought you might enjoy looking at them. I wish I could include how wonderful they smell, but that’s not available yet in WordPress.

AS DOES THE GARDEN GROW – Marilyn Armstrong

The columbine are starting to bloom and I got pictures, but they aren’t fully open yet. After yesterday’s rain, everything is covered with drops of rain. And it’s pretty muddy.