Queen Zinnia

I admit, I am smitten with the array of zinnias I have seen this year and this lovely one is no exception. It might not be the most striking (compared, say, to the Mexican or the ‘party’ ones) but the name is the most noble so far and the curled understated petals really merit a closer look (in the enlarged version in the gallery) to see the subtleties of colour and tones. The centre makes a royal statement, though, being that bright red web and, as is usual, there is a gold necklace surrounding it. A friend I was speaking to the other day tells me that one of the joys of these flowers is that they seem to evolve over the season, blooming really quite late, but changing from uniform colouring in the plants to different colours, as though they have cross-pollinated. Perhaps this is one reason I have seen so many different looking ones. Whatever the case, friends, I hope you enjoy this regal offering today and it cheers you, whether you are monarchists or not! View all posts on the Home page.  A Flower a Day #408

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Clematis

Shut your eyes… wait… okay, now OPEN them! Yes, we are back in the early summer with all that implies. Feel the lazy heat, hear the bees droning around the flowers, see the gorgeous, frivolous clematis flowers climbing up the support, their voluptuous pink veined petals spilling over each other and almost hiding the trellis behind. My friend, who has the greenest thumbs and fingers of any, treated me to a ‘socially distanced’ visit to her garden and I got so many beautiful photos, including her beautiful Kwanzan Cherry blossom that I shared around the time of my visit. I feel that although summer is well and truly over and the colour is all in the trees now, such reminders of summer beauty as this can only brighten our days even more. So expect more of them through the colder, darker months in the Northern Hemisphere. I wish you all a lovely Sunday. View all posts on the Home page.  A Flower a Day #407

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White Cosmos in a Jar

The local flower farm I have mentioned in recent posts was selling charming little posies in a jar of water when I collected my vegetables from their farm stand, not long ago. They were so sweet looking and I particularly loved this one that was on the step. The delicate white cosmos with its fine,accordion pleated petals in the centre was just lit by the morning sun filtering through the trees while the shadows deepened the rich colours of the sunflowers around it. I hope this patch of sunlit simplicity brightens your morning. Enjoy your day, my friends. View all posts on the Home page.  A Flower a Day #406 

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Marigold and Friend

I like to plant marigolds in my garden, whether for pest control in vegetable beds, or just for a lovely bright display. This year I used seeds I had in an envelope, starting them in little pods and transplanting them when they germinated and were big enough to deal with real life. For some reason, they have varied in size from about 6 inches tall, to over 6 feet in height! Don’t ask me how the size difference came about, as I thought these were all the same variety. The other odd thing is that some are the deep fluorescent orange, thickly petalled, that I associate with marigolds from my past. Some are the same density of bloom, but a bright yellow colour, like this one and have fewer, but frilled petals as you see here. When this is the case, you can see the details in that centre. I think I have even had a few with what were almost a single layer of petals in that light yellow. Whatever the shape or colour, insects seem to find them useful, which is one of the reasons I grow them. Enjoy the bright flower for your day, friends. Hugs to all. View all posts on the Home page.  A Flower a Day #405 

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