Today's Flowers: More Daffodils

My last post was daffodils but I love these first blooms of spring so I'm still playing with my camera and my photo software. The above photo was taken late in the evening with just the soft light of my dining room chandlier. I really like the blue jar in contrast with the yellow bloom.

"On The Fringes"

A little macro work.

Although I strive to get my photos right in the camera as I'm taking them I have also really been enjoying working with adding textures to my photos. I like how the texture in this gave it a more old fashioned look.

I'm posting for Today's Flowers.

Remembering Summer

As there are no flowers peeking through the recent five inches of snow on the ground I will take you back to August when my Rose of Sharon bushes were still producing some buds. Don't miss those three little ants crawling along the furled petals.
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Today's FlowersA Valentine Birthday Bouquet

February 14, 2009

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Today's Flowers: Springing Forth

At last in the flower beds there is green pushing through!

Little 'fans' pushing up all over!
Little green sculptures of hope for the coming spring.




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Today's Flowers: Dried Roses

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Today's Flowers: Burning Bush

This week I searched my archives to find something that I hadn't posted and found this image of a Burning Bush from my Mom's yard that I took last October. At that time it was just beginning to change colors to its vibrant scarlet foliage. It was already full of the small red-orange fruit it bears in the fall. I hope you enjoy.

Waste no tears

Upon the blotted record of lost years,

But turn the leaf, and smile, oh! smile, to see

The fair white pages that remain for thee.”

~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

(American poet and writer 1850-1919)

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Today's Flowers: Rudbeckia Snow Cones

It is time to post a photo of flowers. In the past few days my little corner of the world, along with many of you, experienced bitter chilling Arctic winds. Today as I sit and type this it is 31 degrees and with the wind it seems like 24 and once again pouring down snow. This is a good day compared to the -4 degree real low temperature of yesterday. You might say we're having a heat wave. In the midst of winter the flowerbeds are brown and empty. I forgot to pick up flowers at the market yesterday to share with you and since I love this meme I have improvised my entry today.

Below is a photo of the brown rudbeckia stems left standing in the flowerbed outside my sunroom window. The snow piled on top and made them look like little snow cones. I promise to stop by and pick up some 'real' flowers to post next week.

In the meantime, click the badge at the top of my post to see much prettier flowers from all around the world. Thanks to Luis, Denise, and Laerte for giving us this beautiful meme and thanks to you dear readers for indulging my interpretation of it today.

Rudbeckia Snow Cones

You saw them here first! - Smile, you know you want to!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Today's Flowers: A Centerpiece

Most of you know I went to visit my Daughter for the holidays. A few days before I arrived she had attended her office Christmas party. She was able to bring home the centerpiece from the table where she was sitting. The plant had passed its prettiest state but Cindy had wanted me to see it. I felt the beautiful burgandy color was still pretty enough to photograph.

I love how the white petal is reaching up and caressing the flower above it.

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Today's Flowers: Anniversary Roses

Many of my regular readers will remember that there was much celebrating to do in my little corner of the world over the Christmas holidays. I have since blogged about baby Lily's first birthday and my daughter's twenty-seventh birthday. Over the holidays Hubs and I celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary. These are some of the beautiful white roses I was surprised with.

A Closeup

Our Wedding Day

This is my favorite photo from the day. We didn't pose for it. The keen eye of our photographer just captured the moment.

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Today's Flowers: Mums in Red and Green

I was walking through the grocery and stopped to admire the flowers. These mums with their red and green color seemed the perfect touch for the Christmas season.
Be sure to enlarge all photos to see the detail.

The Today's Flowers team suggested we post something for Christmas this week so my last image is a collage of the decorations at my Mom's house. These are decorations we had as I was growing up. Be sure to click the badge when you have finished your visit here and see other flower and Christmas posts from around the world.

Happy Holidays

The Christmas book you see was purchased new many years ago for twenty-nine cents!

Today's Flowers: Wisteria Pods

Luiz invited us to post something about Christmas. I hope you enjoy an ornament from my tree.

My entry for Today's Flowers is a little different. Winter has taken all the beautiful blooms from my garden. Today I am showing you what is left on my Wisteria vines. Wisteria is a member of the Pea family, Fabaceae. Most of us know it as a climbing vine, with purple, and sometimes white, flowers in the early spring. Less noticeable, at least from a distance, are the seed pods that form afterwards. These pods are very soft and velvety, and get to be about 8-10" or longer. The pods are filled with smooth round brown seeds. A few things to bear in mind about these seeds: first, they're poisonous; second, they, the pods and the leaves do create a bit of garden litter; and third, fresh wisteria seed sprouts readily, but vines grown from seed, as opposed to grafted plants, sometimes take upwards of seven to ten years to bloom.

Silhouetted Against A Brilliant Winter Sky
Dangling From The Vines
Nature's Ornaments

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Today's Flowers: A Geranium Bud

This is a geranium bud from my Mom's pot of flowers we had gotten her for Mother's Day in May. I took the photo this past October. It was still blooming well at that point. Of course now with frost and winter it is long gone. Hope you enjoy.

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Today's Flowers: A Pink Hibiscus

(click to enlarge)

In my corner of the world winter snow has already covered the ground a couple of times and more is expected this week. The flowers in my yard are long gone until Spring again awakens the land and they sprout forth from the earth once again in their beauty. So, what to do for Today's Flowers. I had family all week for the Thanksgiving holidays and haven't had a chance to scout for other flower alternatives. This hibiscus is one from my archives. I took this at my Mom's house in September. It was a surprise to her. It sprang up almost in the middle of a boxwood.

You can see the petal damage from not having enough room to really spread out. We thought it was still quite beautiful. Come spring the boxwood will be cut back to allow the hibiscus to grow.

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AToday's Flowers: A Sculpture Garden

This amazing sculpture garden sits at the entrance to a shopping plaza which was my destination on a recent Christmas shopping spree. It is along US 119 South in Charleston, West Virgina. This flower sculpture was brought to life by world renowned artist blacksmith, Jeff Fetty.

Jeff is phenomenal and has won numerous art awards and has commissioned his ironworks for the well known and famous. He has done work for President Bill Clinton, the Elizabethan Globe Theatre in London, England, Yves Saint Laurent in Paris, France and writer Tom Clancy as well as musician Jon Bon Jovi among others.

I'm very proud to say I know Jeff. He and I were classmates throughout our elementary and high school years. He still lives in the hometown where we grew up.

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Today's Flowers: A Lilac Bud

Last spring the lilac bush beside my deck was filled with beautiful white blooms releasing their fragrant scent into the wind. Those blooms have long been gone as are all the leaves on the bush.

Next year's buds are waiting for the warmth of Spring.

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Today's Flowers: Rhododendron

I took this photo this afternoon of a rhododendron plant in my flowerbed. It was a new plant set out in the spring. I'm not sure but from the reading I've done I think this plant is preparing for next spring's blooms. I'll have to keep an eye on it to be sure. Meanwhile those little wet drops you see are the result of some precip trying to move into the area. Since it's cold here with below freezing temperatures expected tonight a few snow flurries are possible.

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Today's Flowers: Fall Sedum

(click to enlarge)

I thought last week that I would not have any new flowers to share but checking the back side of the house I noticed the Sedum was showing its fall color. I kept forgetting all last week to take a picture so this is a little past the optimum beauty of the plant but I hope you enjoy it.

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Just a quick note for all my United States readers. I know we are all getting tired with all the rhetoric of this historical election and like me you may be feeling tired and worn like my fading yard stake; but I hope that no matter who you support in this election that you plan today to vote on Tuesday!

Today's Flowers: A Bee On The Sedum

This is a photo of the Sedum that bloomed in my flowerbed a few weeks ago. It is the last photo I have of the flowers in my yard that I haven't posted. I have so enjoyed the Today's Flowers meme over the last few weeks and hope that other flower opportunities will arise so I can still participate from time to time. I hope you enjoy seeing the pink Sedum and the bee visitor who was probably enjoying it the most.

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