This year I served as a volunteer Horticulture Barrier Aide at the Philadelphia Flower Show – that means I stood behind the judges holding one end of a plastic rope to keep people away from the judges as they were judging the flowers. We followed our group of judges through may different classes including container…
Tag: flowers
Yearly Bloom
This is the flower of an amaryllis from my grandmother. She passed away over 30 years ago so I am not sure how old the plant is but each winter, it sends up the orange/pink blossoms and reminds me of my grandmother’s love of flowers and gardening.
Well, Hello There…
As I was cutting flowers, I ran across this big fellow. A quick internet search revealed it is a common garden spider called the Black and Yellow Argiope ( Argiope aurantia). They catch large insects such as grasshoppers and butterflies in their web. I decided I could pass on this flower and leave Mr. Spider…
Visitor in the Petunias
As I was walking by the flowers this afternoon, I looked up at a basket of petunias and came face-to-face with a very large frog who was enjoying his (or her) time in the basket. Being startled, I jumped a foot in the air but then I decide that it was a pretty interesting visitor…
Shades of Hydrangea
I came to a new appreciation of hydrangeas when my daughter-in-law used them for her wedding. When we did some landscaping several years ago, we planted several hydrangeas and now we enjoy the beautiful shades of the blooms throughout the summer season. Until I looked at the photos on the computer, I did not realize…
Mountain Laurel Time
The state flower for Pennsylvania is in bloom now. More information on the selection of the mountain laurel for the state flower, which is a blooming shrub rather than a typical flower, can be found here. I just enjoy the brief season with the pale pink blooms showing up along the country roads.
In Praise of Greenhouses
My favorite place to visit from now until late fall is Black Creek Greenhouse. It is owned and operated operated by a Mennonite family and was started in 1980. It has a wonderful selection of all types of plants, plus you can also pick up some locally grown produce and farm fresh eggs. Customers use a…
Closer Look
This is a close-up of a bearded iris blooming in the yard (Germanica Hemstitched). The nice thing about a macro lens is that you see things you never noticed before such as the fluffy “hairs” and the inner part of the bloom. It is a reminder to be a closer and more thoughtful observer of the wonderfully diverse…
Hidden in the Woods
The pink ladyslippers are making their annual appearance in the woods. Due to all of the downed limbs and trees from the October snowstorm, we do not have as many this year. But if you look closely and are careful of where you step you can still find groupings of the delicate pale pink member…
A New Perspective
I invested (“invest” sounds so much more responsible than I spent money on something I wanted but did not really need) in a macro lens for the camera today–40mm 2.8. Came home and, without reading any of the directions, put the lens on the camera and headed outside. Since we have an early spring, I have both…
Landscaping with the Word
In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. James 1: 21 (The Message)
Shark Teeth and Wild Onions
Once again it is spring and I am digging up the wild onions in the flower beds and yard. I know wild onions have their beneficial uses but they always grow where you don’t want them to grow and they grow in such profuse numbers. It seems that as soon as I pull one up, another rises in its…
Give Thanks
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say this— Psalm 107: 1-2a (NIV)
Flowers and Phoebes
You know that spring is arriving in our area when you hear the call of the Eastern Phoebe in the early morning. The phoebe is a small gray flycatcher and usually arrives in the early spring. According to local folklore, it is time to buy the Easter ham when you hear the phoebe. However, this year…
Nature and Life Notes 