Tuesday, June 30, 2009

A Few Flowers

Posted by Dawn

The North East is experimenting with several days of rain right now, in fact, it appears as though we will be having more rain this week, making it three weeks in a row. I can say, one or two overcast days brought me out to the veggie garden for the much needed thinning and weeding but not anything else, so with much ado about the weather, I've captured some flowers with my camera and decided I would share them, they are some of the blooms we've had over the last month. Wild oats.

Sensation lilac.
Lady slipper and bunch berry.
A holly berry, close-up.
I thought this one was cute.
and finally, a flower from my snowball bush although it looks more like a flake.
Lily of the valley, one of my favorite scents!
I'm not sure what this tree is, it gets loaded with these trailing flowers and it has a wonderful gray smooth bark. Any ideas would be appreciated, until then myself and my daughter call it the "kitty cat tail tree."
A lovely white lilac with an insect we first thought was a baby hummingbird because of it's long beak, no shown in the picture, but alas! Baby hummingbirds don't have antennae.
Goat's rue.
a close-up of goat's rue.
Pink geranium growing by my mailbox.
Pink peony, my poor pictures get dark from here on in, I was desperate to get some shots and took them on the only overcast, clear day we had recently.
Yellow lilies with purple iris.
Thanks to a heavy coating of horse manure, my iris are gorgeous this year. I know some call these Japanese iris but we have always referred to them as blue flag iris, they are native to this area and are found in swampy, low lands.
More yellow lilies.
My highly fragrant moss rose and after this rain, the whole bunch of these should be open filling my nose with their perfume.
A little tenuous bramble rose that last only a day, the white flower float it's one hundred (seems like) petals down to the ground if it is touched at all, a wild kind of rose.
And finally this photo that has a glimpse of sun and a small piece of mica, is a sedum growing on top one of my rock walls. Someday I will post on those too!

Until then, hope to see you on a bright sunny day....In the Garden.

36 comments:

  1. Helo there Dawn !
    I haven't seen some of these flowers before they are very pretty ! I would love my bunchberry to increase .. and to have a ladyslipper in my garden would be wonderful : )
    We have tried holly a few times and it just wasn't going the way I wanted it to .. so I will enjoy yours !

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  2. All the flowers are beautiful, but especially the iris! My goodness what a vivid color! I love overcast days in summer--wish we would have 1 or 2! :)

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  3. Beautiful flowers, Dawn! Peonies are one of my all time favorites! I have a rose similar to your pink one, not fragrant though, the white one is gorgeous too, even if they don't last long.

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  4. very pretty blooms. ... all so lush and green.

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  5. You have some pretty blooms! I love the yellow and purple together.

    Look up photos of itea virginica to see if that's your white-flowering tree. It is a native, but there are also hybrids.

    That peony bloom is such a wonderful, delicate pink!

    Our days of rain left us with days of dry 90+ degree temps that has tragically taken a toll on the garden. Too much of an extreme swing.

    Cameron

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  6. Love the lily of the valley Dawn!!! We used to pick bunches of those for the month of May for Mary when we were in Catholic school -that scent is wonderful. Of course I am bias to your lilacs -yum-yum they smell the best! The pictures all look great -the darker ones make the colors stand out nicely. Have a great day everyone. Ciao!

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  7. Beautiful flowers, Dawn! A snowflake? You're funny!--Randy

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  8. Wow you have some fabulous blooms in the garden Dawn. Your mystery critter is the Hummingbird Moth! Aren't they cool? :)

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  9. Beautiful blooms. Your tree looks similar to a Virginia Sweetspire.

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  10. Neat blooms! I was going to say the hummingbird look-a-like was a hummingbird moth but Racquel beat me to it!

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  11. I think the wild oat flowers are very neat.. they dont open up to specific direction and they resemble old record player speakers!....

    ~ bangchik

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  12. thank for the lovely photos and tour. It's winter here, but still there are quite a few flowers around, and you have inspired me to get photgraphing. Can't help you with the mystery tree.

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  13. Wow, lots of nice blooms Dawn! Your flowering tree looks like a Chokecherry. If it is they produce a very tart fruit that can be made into jelly or syrup.

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  14. Good morning all!

    Dawn, that peony and irises are so wonderful! It's nice to see these 'spring' flowers (for us) while we are in the throes of a rain deficit and heat. Although I must say, not too humid today and it is below 90:) Sure would like some rain though. I think some identifications on your plants? Always a good thing. Everyone have a great day!

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  15. It's nice to go back and look at the lovely lilacs and peonies. That's an interesting sedum and one I don't have. I'd like to add a few more sedums to my collection, love their carefree culture.
    Marnie

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  16. Beautiful blooms, Dawn! I've seen the purple iris referred to as blue flag iris before, too; maybe they are a different species than the Japanese iris. I was going to identify your hummingbird moth, but I see a couple people have beat me to it:) But what a find! I've seen them on other blogs, but I've never seen one in my garden. Hope it dries out for you soon--I'd like a little of that rain.

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  17. Lady's Slipper, how wonderful! Those grow wild in my parents yard and every time I see them I am astonished at their size and beauty.

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  18. PS Your kitty cat tail tree looks like Black Cherry, Prunus serotina.

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  19. Love the pictures of flowers that have long since bloomed in our yard. What zone are you in? We are 6b. Thanks for sharing all the lovely photos! The flowering tree looks like black cherry to me. We have one in the far back corner of the yard. ~~Rhonda

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  20. Hi Guys! I'm on late this morning, my teen is working and my 10 year old spent the night at a friends, time to sleep in!
    Garden Joy-My bunch berries don't really multiply either, or if it does, it's very slow, pretty little flower though.
    Meadowview-my iris popped up this last week, my teen son spent the weekend over at a friends and when he returned he asked his father about them "Did they just happen?", it was funny, they are loving the rain, many of them this year.
    Lzyjo-the moss rose is near and dear to me, it's the only old fashioned rose I have and fortunately, it seems to want to take over. The little bramble is very thorny but yes, beautiful with it's many petals.
    Janet-thanks, I'm hoping the veggies will get lush and green also!
    Cameron- Yes! But if it is, it MUST be a hybrid. The infomation has the zone for it stopping below NY, nothing for here and my tree is about 25 ft high. I never noticed fruit before, I'll have to keep a eye out, everything else is the same!
    Anonymous-I knew you'd like the lilacs, my white bush (20 ft high) was loaded and could be scented thoughout the yard, hug lil bundle for me.
    Jamie and Randy- Thanks, LOL! My first thought after being surprised by the blooms!
    Perennialgardener- Thanks for the ID, myself and my hubby go back and forth with the same convo every year, "hummingbird?" "No, I think not", it has it's own wedsite and they animate the same convo between husband and wife! So funny! "We know why you are here!"
    Darla-Yes, I believe it is, I've only seen one other in my area, it's at a ballfield/playground. It's beautiful, wonder if someone planted it? Humm....

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  21. Dave-Thanks! Blogging is meant to pass info on! It's neat.
    Bangchik and kakdah- the wild oats are very neat, I like the bunching too, no weeds to block to tiny blooms.
    Catmint-your welcome, I've purchased a new camera and i'm having alot of fun with it.
    Dan-I'm going to watch my tree to see what fruit becomes on it, I'm hoping to get a good view before the birds discover them! Thanks!
    Tina-Yes, ID's are always good, I'm very thankful for the help, it's been years I haven't know what to call my beauty of a tree, and the moth!
    Marnie-I wish I could remember the name of the sedam, it looks like a long stemmed moss, very pretty and doing well. The stonecrop planted next to it...well, not so good.
    Rose-Thnanks! I'm not sure about the different names, maybe just the areas also! We have seen quite a few hummingbird moths this year and it took about 15 photos to get this one little guy, they fly like hummingbirds too.
    Sweetbay-they are in the wild up here too, I transplanted about 40 one year and they all came back! Yellow is rare. I'm off to check out the cherry trees on the internet, soon!
    Rhonda-I'm on the very, teeny, tiny edge of zone 5 going into zone 4, in the mountians so I can grow some stuff, but others no. Wisteria is one that needs shelter where I'm at. Cherry, might be....I don't know to many of those.
    Overcast today with more showers tonight and tomorrow. Some of the veggies are yellowing from lack of sun! Wish I could send rain all your ways!

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  22. Many pritties to look at today. The kitty cat tail tree is a good name for it but my first thought was that it looked something like a choke cherry but I know you know what that is. I have not seen to many of the choke cherry blossoms this year. Many the rain has afftected them. Whatever it is, I like it.

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  23. Mom, I just got done hunting black cherry on the net, yes, it is related to the chokecherry. At first I thought no because black cherry has scaly bark, BUT that's a mature one, young one have smooth gray bark, so does the sweetspire. Mine is smooth, eveything is there, the truth will be in the fruit, cherry gets draped, I mean draped with chokecherries that the songbirds love! I will have to keep a close eye on my tree. Also it said the crushing of the leaves smell like almond, it has a cyanide effect to some farmlife. Interesting life traits...this black cherry.

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  24. Beautiful flowers Dawn. I like them all & have seen some of them.
    We've had down pours the last couple days. We are for sure not dry anymore. A wee bit too much at once. Don't know how my veggies are fairing as I sprained my rt foot, takes too much time in ER. I can walk but much pain & I don't want to take stronger than Tylenol & that makes me sleep.
    Mtn Alyssum doing great. I keep it in the shade.

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  25. Here we have the wild cherries Dawn. They are a real pain. Self seed all over the place, and yes, poisonous to wildlife. My neighbor (the cow farmer) comes along his fence line and has asked if he could trim wild cherries so the cows are not harmed. They don't know any better. I have a cherry in my yard and just as soon as I can, it's coming out. It's too bad because it is a nice tree for birds I think, just pesky and not particularly attractive-except to tent caterpillars. I've never seen the blooms up close since they are kind of high up.

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  26. Hi guys, Sorry about the foot Lola, I read the comment about dropping a bench on it while spraying for wasp, ouch! Those wasp are bad, we had to spray this weekend although no one is allergic, that's frightful!
    Tina, my tree starts flowering at head level and the brances are about 10 ft from the trunk. It really does have a pretty flower, all over. I read though they will seed and be a pain with staining concrete, ours---we mow under.
    I'm still not sure what it is, I looked tonight and it doesn't appear like it will get fruit, just has stalks where the blossoms were. And the leaves smell like a leaf! JOAT's and myself tried the sniff test, no go. I'm just watching very closely.

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  27. My Goodness Dawn! Beautiful blooms! You spend so much time with crafting that I cannot believe how many blooms you have in your yard! You are also getting a great veggie garden in order as well. You sure do have some energy girl. Those kids sure do keep you moving girl... The Lily of the Valley reminds me of my grandmother. She had a beautiful bed of them at her front door. I planted some last year but with no luck. Sigh, Guess they are not mean to be down here in this heat. I may give them another try in the future though...

    PS. Send us some rain! :-)

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  28. Skeeter, my mental thoughts are for you to have the rest of the weeks weather! I'm changing into a fungus! Hoping to be picked for that ark that will swing by any minute! 2 by 2.....
    Energy wise, I have what you have girl! You are always busy,busy. Never a dull moment for you!

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  29. I live in Massachusetts and I'm sick of the rain too. We are ready to build an ark! So much fungus, weeds, and slugs... sigh ... so much work to do. -Jackie

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  30. I love the "kitty cat tail tree"! The iris and daylilies look so pretty together, I think I have the same daylilies. The moss rose is really pretty! Hope you get some sun :)

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  31. I enjoyed these pictures, especially the natives: you have a lot of them! But I also liked the wild oats (I've used the flower essence but never seen them) and Sensation lilac. Kitty cat tree is a nice name; besides noticing the 5-petal prunus-y flowers I'm afraid I can't help.

    Those "dark" pictures were spectacular, I'd love to know what kind those yellow lilies were, very graceful.

    Tina, wild cherries are very medicinal, the bark awa the fruit; maybe you could start a business and get rid of your upstarts at the same time?

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  32. What a nice assortment of blooms! Enjoy the rain and be ready to hit the garden again when the sun comes back out.

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  33. It's funny that the rain makes us human run for cover whilst plants and flowers open themselves up and offer their inner selves to the elements. Lovely photos and commentary.

    Greetings from London.

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  34. I forgot to mention, I cracked up when I saw the dandelion! lol

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  35. Can you find lily of the valley in a scented perfume? For men?? That's my birth month flower and I love its aroma. Is that "little tenuous bramble rose" a wild multiflora? I hope not, they're considered an invasive here in PA. Pretty but pernicious and can take over a tree!

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  36. Hi guys,
    Jackie, All of the brooks, streams and rivers are full, full. New England is saturated. Morning sun on Fri, Sat and sun., let's hope.
    Thanks! Catherine
    Pomona, I'm not sure the variety of the lilies, they are pass-a-longs, they are nice having about 15 blooms from the size circle of a dinner plate. Wonderful!
    Kathleen, I'm trying, or the rain's trying!
    Hi! Cuban from London.
    Skeeter, too funny I'd spend my time on a picture of spent dandelions!
    TC- I wore lily of the vally when I was younger but I have not been able to find it even for women. The little bramble probably is wild multiflora, it grows up everywhere but can stay contained, our harsh winters tame it alittle I think.
    Overcast today, gloomy and dark. Sun soon!

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