Majestic Beauties

This beautiful David Austin rose is one of my favorites. It's off to the side of a parking lot at the condos I walk by everyday. These roses have an amazing aroma and as you can see, are the perfect rose shape, too!

I call this Foxglove in my garden the "King." It's the tallest and the most robust of all of mine. Of course, it's like picking your favorite child, lol. I have about a hundred of these blooming right now in all of the shades between white and dark pink. More photos soon!

It's Flower Time at Home!

The yard is really starting to burst into color. We've had so much rain though, that many of my perennials are taller and somewhat weaker than usual, so I've been busy staking up plants I've never had to before. It's always something, right, lol? I'll have lots more flowers photos in the next few days. I've been working on several new paintings, too, so stay tuned for those as well! 

Downstairs neighbor, Rick, has these pretty orange annuals in pots on his steps.

Do you like butter? Shiny Buttercups are spread throughout the lawns. They don't seem to thrive when I move them into a garden so I leave them in the grass now. The lawn is only mowed every 2-3 weeks now so they're quite pretty most of the time.

The inside of one of my varieties of Foxgloves. They're like burgundy leopard spots.

The graceful "S" curve of a Foxglove.

One of my darker, raspberry colored Foxgloves. Through the years, starting with just two plants, one dark like this, and one bright white, I now have almost every shade from white to pale pink to dark pink to an almost burgundy with a few pale yellow ones. I can only think that they're cross-pollinating with other plants around the neighborhood. 

A side view. They're like little trumpets. 

A bright yellow and gold hybrid bearded Iris. They're such beautiful flowers.

The peonies are just gorgeous this year. They're so heavy this year, and we have rain so often I've been picking them and bringing them inside. I don't mind. They have the best aroma of any plant, in my humble opinion!

One of the paler Foxgloves.

These pale plants have a slightly different shape to the flowers. They're not quite as bulbous, they're simpler. And just as lovely!

This purple Iris has beautiful zebra-like veins on the lower petals.

This Spiderwort has been in my gardens for several years, but was planted in an area that was too shady. I finally transplanted them into the sunny front yard this year and they're thriving. 

Spiderworts look just like lily plants while they're maturing but the flowers are completely different. Instead of separate flower stalks, the blooms come out from the cruz of two leaves. Each flower only lasts a day, like day lilies, but there are 10-15 buds on each "crux" so they last quite a while.

This variety of Foxglove has little "hairs" on the outer edges giving them an almost catfish-like appearance.

Clown Car Arrives at Pink Gardens

Given to me just a few days ago, this newest part of my collection makes me smile so much! I love clowns and, of course, I love cars, so this vintage tin toy Clown Car is awesome! Expect to see him in some of my art really soon.

I turned 57 today, born in 1957. I guess it's a special year but I'm flat on my back with a sciatica flare up! 

One turns the clown's head to wind up the toy. Once you do, the car moves forward for about a foot, stops, backs up for about a foot, stops, and keeps on repeating. I love it.

The painted details are right up my alley with stripes, tiny squares and colors with a lot of patina.

Happy Memorial Day

My maternal grandfather's discharge from WW1. He enlisted in 1917 at the age of 29. Giving thanks to all of our veterans of the past, the present, and the future. This day is to honor all of you.

Spring's Rejuvenation Under Way!

This is a multi-petaled tulip. It's not a Parrot tulip but it's close. This was an afternoon sun, very strong, but within a half hour we had a quick thunderstorm and downpour. 

All three of the African violets I've planted together are blooming at the same time. I love the mix of colors. Combined, this planter is now more than 18-inches wide.

A loose arrangement of cut daffodils inside. The yellow variety in front has multiple petals and the barest suggestion of a "trumpet" in the center. The thinner ones in the back are more traditional but they're very tall and thin in the garden.

This Azalea in the yard is more than 8-feet tall. The pink ones are done now but the smaller dark red variety still has tight buds.

A grouping of Grape Hyacinths on my walk to town.

This little family of Canada geese hangs out by the small pond in town. There's a boardwalk at one end of it that's a shortcut to town for me. There are five little goslings.

This is a very nice perennial garden behind one of the town's historic house museums, the Deacon Grave's House. I'll take photos of this garden all summer. It's really one of the nicest ones in town.

Flowers in the Rain, Rain on the Lens

Narcissus looks down into his reflection in the water... 

Creeping Perriwinkle's lavender flowers tuck into the base of my castle-like decaying tree trunk.

Sunny Jonquil can't brighten the soggy afternoon at Pink Gardens,

Azaleas are as wet as the camera lens in this shot. I kept shooting, working around the rain-soaked camera lens.

Raindrop on lens softens the Azalea here, in full bloom just in time for the soaking rain. I think this may become one of my paintings/assemblages.

   

The elegant back of a Narcissus bloom.

Nice double daffodil points its heavy head to the ground during soaking.

The first few leaves of my white Trillium catching some rain.

Vintage New England Split Rail Fence

I love the look of a classic New England split rail fence, especially when covered with climbing rose bushes, or ramblers. This is a vintage Polaroid of my aunt Hoohoo's property, circa 1965. The fence lined one edge of the yard along the roads it bordered.

Slowly Springing

Although we had a very few warm days a couple of weeks ago, we've had near freezing nighttime temperatures since then. Almost every perennial seems stunted this season. These cute little grape hyacinths are only 3-inches tall!  

And a sidenote: I'm having massive software issues with Blogger these days. This is the first post I've been able to compose all week. I hope I can actually post it. With my old mac, and with software on the web continually changing and evolving, I'm not sure how much longer I'll even be able to post. I've lost a lot of functionality everywhere, Facebook included, but it's still working pretty well there. I hope this is only a glitch at Blogger, soon to be cleared up because there is no new mac in my future. Thanks for bearing with me.

Working on a New Piece

A sneek peek at a new painting of mine. This will be part of my "knitting needles" series, with a bit of a twist, as each piece does. This painting is on vintage joined pine boards and measures approximately 23 x 24 inches.

'Nother Pretty Bloom

A pretty white crocus has come up near my lavender ones. I still haven't had time to clean off any of the gardens but I hope to in the next week or two. It's rainy and cold today.

Spring Begins

The first few crocuses of Spring have popped up from under the leaves. I think we can count the winter over, but the weather is still not all that warm yet. 

Spring Tomorrow But I Don't Really See It!

Still winter temperatures around here, but no snow lately. Most of what we had is melting steadily. I'm really ready for Spring and puttering around outside!

 Backyard brook/swamp/creek is full and full of ice.

 Lonely tomato cage and deer netting awaiting the warmer seasons.

A red shamrock and a purple tradescanthia reach for the meager winter sun during a recent snowstorm.

 Morning Glory vines from past seasons tough it out.

These two struggling plants were given to me late last summer and they're both doing fine now.

The peace bench has a winter arrangement on it. I found half of a square paver and from most angles it looks like a pyramid. This is a calm place to sit.

A close-up of the paver and peace bench shows the industrial origins of the granite slab. You can see the scars of mining and drilling on it. 

View from above show the various items in this seasonal arrangement, all things found around the yard by digging.

Common late winter site: My sneakers and melting snow.

Plants like Foxgloves which don't lose their leaves, warm up faster than the bare ground around them.