Friday, August 07, 2020

What's In Bloom This Week

Daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Venetian Fringe’)

Each garden has its own surprise.
SUSAN ALLEN TOTH, My Love Affair With England


It is cool, wet, and windy this Friday morning. A day for tucking up indoors with a good book and maybe making a nice soup for lunch. I am feeling particularly unambitious today, and so I shall keep this post short and sweet. These are the flowers we are presently enjoying in the garden. If you were here, I would point them out to you and we could admire together. Of course, we'd invite the sun to shine for us while we were out.


When I see such a beauty as this Daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Venetian Fringe’), I kind of lament that they are true to their name—each blossom lasts only a day and then shrivels away. So, I try not to miss the opportunity to drink in her frilly details.

If you've followed this blog for any length of time, no doubt you have picked up the clue that I love close up shots of flowers. I certainly feel a kinship to American artist Georgia O'Keeffe when she said, "I decided if I could paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty." My close ups are so I don't ignore them.  


" When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it,
it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to
someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they
have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it..."
GEORGIA O'KEEFFE


This thistle-like perennial is Eryngium, known to us as Sea Holly. Rick selected her for the front bed along the west of our driveway. Low-lying alongside the more flamboyant Coneflowers, she is easily overlooked. You have to bend near to see her delicate beauty.
 



In the beginning, I was not drawn to Sea Holly -- she seemed aloof with her prickly centres, but I have since come to appreciate the wonderment of these spiky, mauve-hinted flowers. I understand they make long-lasting cut flowers and dry well for winter arrangements. I may have to try drying some this year.
  


These duo-tinted Echinaceas are just coming into bloom now and certainly lend their charm to our Coneflower corner of the garden. In my estimation, along with our busily buzzing winged friends, they are the bee's knees.


There were bright white Daisies and yellow Buttercups,
sweet Black-Eyed Susan and tall, tall blue Coneflowers;
and in and out and drinking came buzzing fat bees. 
CONSTANCE LA FRANCE, A Summer Field


We were sitting on our deck one balmy evening when the neighbourhood rabbit nonchalantly hopped into our yard. Soon as he spotted us, he froze and stayed quiet for a long time. Keeping an eye on us even as we watched him out of the corner of our eyes. Once he felt safe, he took to munching on the lawn by the hydrangeas. How perfect a spot for a photo. I was reminded of those old-fashioned greeting cards with the Easter bunnies in a spring garden.

Then he hopped off and the magical moment was over.


* * *

On that note, I'm wishing you a beautiful weekend.
Stay safe.

Heart Hugs,
Brenda
xox




24 comments:

  1. Beautiful flowers! Your blog is a welcome retreat bringing peace and joy!

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  2. Love your bunny, does he visit often? Daylilies are definitely a favorite here too. There is such a wide variety of color and size to choose from for any garden. Plus I find their foliage most attractive between bloom times. Your Venetian Fringe is spectacular! Enjoy the rainy break in the weather:)

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    1. Mr Rabbit (Hare) comes more in the winter time, looking for fallen bird seed. He doesn't come as often through the summer - I assume that's because we're out and about more. It was a treat to have him stay in the yard while we were out there on the deck. The day lilies add so much texture even when they aren't blooming.

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  3. Your have beautiful flowers in your garden and you captured them perfectly with you camera!

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  4. I dont think I have seen a daylily with a fringe before. It certainly is spectacular and so pretty too. How nice to have a bunny visit!

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    1. That daylily really is amazing. I just love it. And we so enjoyed the bunny visit.

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  5. The Eryngium is a new one to me. I can totally see why it’s called the Sea Holly. It looks like something you’d find in the sea. Thank you for the little visit to your garden. 🌸

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    1. I saw a note online that the Sea Holly is often found in England by the sea. I saw a pic of it growing in the sandy areas by the water. So there you are, Joy!

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  6. Thanks for sharing your lovely flowers here. I love Daylilies, but mine are no where near as prety.

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  7. Your garden is lovely. Though the day lilies fade after only a day...what a lot of buds coming...many days of lilies to come. I know that you enjoyed your quiet, rainy day.

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    1. Yes, Vee, we certainly enjoyed our rainy day. I made banana muffins for afternoon tea. Read my Peter Mayle book, A Year in Provence, and generally lazed about like a cat.

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  8. The bunny looks almost unreal. The daylilies are beautiful.

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    1. I was amazed that he stayed in the yard and munched on grass as we sat on the deck only a few feet away from him. It was a treat.

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  9. WOW, what a beautiful post!!!! Thank you for sharing the beauty of your gardens and your hare visitor. Very peaceful. Have a lovely weekend ~ FlowerLady

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  10. Thank you so much, FlowerLady Lorraine, for stopping by.

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  11. Brenda, your garden is too lovely for my words. I am quite familiar with Sea Holly. My mom always had it in her flower arrangements. It is really lovely and holds its head up high.

    I do love your day lily is is such a pretty one. Again, a lovely post of a gorgeous garden.
    Have a wonderful weekend, my friend.

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  12. That daylily is gorgeous! I like close ups of flowers too. They are beautiful when you stop to look at the details.

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  13. Loving all the purple flowers in your garden!

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  14. We used Eryngium in my daughter's wedding bouquet. Its wonderful texture and color added depth to her flowers. It looked great in the guys boutonnieres as well.

    Your garden looks great!

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  15. I enjoyed my stroll through your garden, and I am oh-so-glad that you like close-up views of your flowers! It really helps me to pay attention! Oh, and I love your visitor! Too bad he didn't linger . . .

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To My Beautiful Readers,

Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same. ~ Franz Peter Schubert

Thank you so much for leaving your 'footprint' here in my comment box. I do appreciate you taking a moment to share your thoughts today.

Brenda xo