Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Photopourri, Floralphernalia

The first arrangement of flowers from my garden. They seem to be later than usual. Zinnias, Dahlias, Sedum and Dusty Miller sit on the arm of my late grandmother's turn-of-the-century wooden Morris chair. One of her handknit seat cushions can be seen above the flowers and one of my "Not Wrapped Too Tightly" footstools is to the right. The more colors the better!

This variety of Hydrangea is in its final color change, from white to pale blue to pale purple to this almost-burgundy.

My first Dahlia to bloom this year. I didn't get my usual corms this year, nicely marked in packages, and bought these as small plants from a stand in front of a private house. They were only $1 apiece, and I spent quite a few minutes picking out 5 plants with colors that would compliment each other. They were all marked by the homeowner/grower with the color/variety. Only thing is, all five plants are actually the same color, lol, this not quite yellow with a tinge of pink and white. They're nice though, and I'll be able to practice my arranging skills using monotones.

The second variety of Hydrangea is blooming for the first time this year. It's bright white and has very sparse flowers. I love the mix of full blossoms on the outside and the tiny closed ones on the inside. This is the fully mature flower, the center ones don't open or get any larger, I'm not sure of the name of it.

The same "tableau" as in the post below, but this time with the thin golden brocade curtains shut. This western window lets so much sun in at this time of year, I have to close the curtains most days or the apartment turns into an oven. I love the golden color that these curtains impart the whole room during the late afternoons.

12 comments:

  1. In a word - beautiful.

    I think if I were inclined to marry that I would love to carry that bouquet down the aisle with me. A perfect compliment to my Vera Wang gown.

    ; )

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  2. Love the dahlia photo!

    I planted pansies on my stoop in spring. There's a few left but mostly I now have embarassing pots of weeds. Casey come fix my garden!

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  3. Thank you! I've tried to pay attention when I see Mary's work!

    You're going to need THREE Vera Wang dresses for your wedding from now on, like that Kardashian gal. That tacky reality TV "star" set the bar pretty "high" with her made-for-TV nuptials last weekend.

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  4. I would love to, Ish, lol. I help out with friends planters/gardens as much as I can. Pansies will sort of peter out in the heat of summer. If you cut them back to about 5-6 inch stems with a few leaves, they just might come back for the fall once the days and nights are cooler. Otherwise they'll probably start selling them again in September. They're one of the few spring/fall flowers. Some marigolds or chrysanthemums might be good for Sept and October.

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  5. The golden color from the curtains will help me get through the upcoming winter months ahead.That's when seasonal depression kicks in, lol.

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  6. DITTO TO WHAT ANNIE SAID BUT ANNIE WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SHARING. ONCE AROUND THE BLOCKOF 53 YEARS IS ALL I CAN HANDLE. MY DRESS WILL COME FROM WALMART. LOL
    THE PICTURES ARE LIKE MEDICINE TO ME.I HOPE YOUR BACK TO YOUR OLD SELF.
    CHECK THE ROSS BLOG. GOOD NEWS FOR OUR ROSS. I'M SO PROUD OF HIM.

    HUGS SWEETIE,

    GRANNY

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  7. CASEY FORGOT TO SAY. MY GRANDMOTHER ALSO HAD A MORRIS CHAIR. I'D GIVE ANYTHING FOR IT TODAY, WELL ALMOST ANYTHING. LOL

    GRANNY

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  8. Oh Casey...this is just what I needed. I know you have been struggling yourself, but what a gift to share your world and help the rest of your fellow "strugglers"
    My daughter was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer (she's 34)which included a nearly 5" tumor (plus a couple more) and a couple lymph nodes included. Seem to have gotten it all (praying) and chemo to follow. I had just been there for a week and came back home when we got word and I turned around and went back the 500 miles This has been quite the year (for many I'm sure) and it is people like yourself who help us look up and out and see beauty around us..
    SO my dear unmet friend Casey...thank you SO much.
    Mare

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  9. HI Mare, I'm so sorry about your daughter. I've been checking out your blog recently. She's young and strong though, so I think there is every reason to be optimistic. She has young children too, which is even more reason for her to fight the fight and win.

    Yes, 2011 has been quite the year, and it's not over yet.

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  10. Casey, are you bracing for the storm? Seems we went through all this last year, didn't we?

    Good old Mother Nature keeps everyone on their toes...

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  11. It looks like we'll just get some heavy rains and a bit of wind. They're plotting it to make landfall up on the Cape. But things could change! All I can do is bring in the porch furniture and bikes and hope for the best. I hope the wind doesn't blow away the morning glories, they're just beginning to really flower, and the vines are really climbing everywhere.

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  12. Love that golden glow - it would make me warm on the coldest of days !

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