The “Stargazer Lily” variety of Asian lilies has everything going for it. They’re long-lasting in the vase, extremely colorful and have a beautiful fragrance. What’s not to like?
This is a close-up of one of the lilies in the dining room centerpiece. Photograph taken with my Canon EOS Digital Rebel – default lens used with the built-in flash.
These pretty “Cosmos bipinnatus” flowers grow in a flower pot on our patio. Sometimes called Mexican Asters, cosmos were grown by Spanish priests in their mission gardens in Mexico. The evenly placed petals led them to christen the flower “Cosmos,” the Greek word for harmony or ordered universe. Cosmos, like many of our warm weather annuals such as marigolds, originated in Mexico and South America.
I have a little decorative sculpture of a fish that sits on our fake waterfall. The sculpture is studded with nickel, dime and quarter-sized glass beads of several colors. I took this closeup of the sculpture and managed to get a number of self-portraits of myself.
The rip in my forearm is much better today. The stitches are in and the swelling is down. I think it’s healing OK. It certainly didn’t interfere with actuating the fore-end on our Remington 870 Shotgun when we went to the range today.
Damsel had a little accident today. We were working in the garden and she got a little too close to the thorns on a Mexican Palm. It was a pretty nasty tear on her forearm and deep too. No band-aid and Neosporin for this one. I took her to the urgent care center where they stitched it up (three sutures did it). While we were waiting to be admitted, this cute little hospital Leprechaun was spreading good cheer in the waiting area at the hospital.
Gerbera was considered a powerful aphrodisiac during the early 1920s. Popular legend held it would arouse sentiments when boiled and mixed with regular food. We just like them to add color to our garden.
Cymbidiums became popular in Europe during the Victorian era. One feature that makes the plant so popular is the fact that it can survive during cold temperatures (as low as 7°C or 45°F). Orchid hobbyists in temperate climates appreciate the fact that they can bloom in winter, when few other orchids are blooming.
Only a few Cymbidium species are commonly grown in nurseries, due to the popularity of hybrids. Most are to be found in botanical gardens or in their ever shrinking natural habitat.
These were in the hot house orchid section at the garden shop last weekend.
When the sunlight hits them, these ice plant blossoms open their vibrant petals for all to see. The ice plant is commonly used as ground cover and to stabilize slopes. Originating in South Africa, large cells in the leaves of these plants sparkle like granules of ice in the sun, hence its common name. I photographed this flower blooming in the garden shop over the weekend.
