Monday, May 31, 2010

Memorial Day and Monday........


My front porch is sporting three little flags for Memorial Day.  I wanted bunting but that will have to be for some other holiday. I will work on bigger flags if I don't find the bunting.


I bought some red, white and blue petunias Sunday to put into some container, yet to be determined.  I go looking to see what is available and what will work best, then I plant it.  Monday for the United States is a holiday and I wish you a restful, fun day.  The rest of you around the world I wish you a great Monday.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Three little kittens.......


I went out to my garden shed to put away a few things and I looked down and saw three sets of eyes looking up at me.



I have some items that are leaned against the shed ready for me to decided whether to toss them or take them on into the shed.   A mother cat has decided to drop them into the bunch of stuff.


There is a tiller sitting there and some windows that I need to throw away.  I also have some wood posts leaning against the area.  They are not tame as I  tried picking one up to show my wife.  Thankfully the neighbors right next door own the cat and the kittens.  They were born over in their junk pile and a yard full of big and little dogs.  I guess she decided that my junk was neater and cleaner.
Once we get them a little tamer, my neighbor lady said she wanted to take them into the house and tame them more.  I will keep you informed of that progress as our dog Barney likes to chase cats, not hurt them,  just chase them.

NOT my Iris......


Neighbor Judy's Iris is performing beautifully.  I have only two irises to trade with her so I need to decide which two that she has that I can trade.  She saw my two irises Superstition and Portrait of Lorrie and I know she would like to have them.
The camera actually picked up a stronger yellow than the real flower even when I tried to lighten them in photoshop.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Flag Iris.......


I drove through a small town, Bouton. today towards another small town Minburn to take the dogs to the vet.   In Bouton was a row of flowering plants and I could see at the  very first of the row was this flag iris, with hundreds of blooms.  I have decided that I need to move mine out from under the trees and put it into the hot sun. 


A bonus picture for  today of my old cemetery iris.  It is putting out quite a show for not having bloomed last year.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

White Pelargonium.......


I bought a new geranium yesterday.  I wanted to find a pure white one but the  greenhouse did not have one. This is a nice second choice. It was a bargain because they had trimmed it back for some reason. I know that this plant will do well with a little tlc.


The bonus photo for today is the red daisy that is trying to open. It has an explosive expression as it tries to open.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Breaking a spell.... no flower today......


I have wonderful rose pictures and I have a creative shot of a red daisy opening up, but I needed to spread my wings. I bought this crafty Roman architectural thing at hobby lobby.  I figured it out to be a shelf holder and I am certain it was suppose to be hung inside a house.  But it is a birdhouse and it goes well on the side of my house.  The shell was weathered before I placed it there.  I had a wren fill the thing with sticks but the female wren did not chose to stay there.

I will place some more things on there as it needs something else, when I find the time, and I will  reshoot it to show you.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Portrait of Lorrie, Iris

This is my iris!!!!
I bought a set of irises a few years back and one rainy season most of them rotted, all  except for this one.  When I received it someone hand mislabeled it portrait of Larry.. I of course thought that was cool. but when I saw the official tag it was Lorrie.  This is the actual blue that you see when you view it.  The camera hasn't altered it.  It is one of my favorites. The falls actually stick straight out instead of drooping.
I have found that there are certain iris varieties that are more hardy than others.  The superstition iris and this iris both grow with great vigor. The rhizomes are large, the leaves are thick  and strong and they bloom profusely.

Monday, May 24, 2010

I wish it were mine........


Here is a photo of my neighbor Judy's wonderful iris. It is an amazing specimen. Have a great Monday.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

The first peony bloom..........


These peony bushes were here when I bought the place back in 1976.  They are all in a row lining the driveway.  I have not done anything to them except keep the mulberry trees from growing into their roots.  I know they are old plants and they keep on blooming.   The hot weather today helped to open them up today.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Superstition.......

Abstract closeup of one of my special iris blooms.  It is called superstition and really is closer to black than what the macro is picking up here.

A second photo of it with the macro still pulling out more reds or violets which it does not have.  I may go out in an evening and try to take it without macro just to see if I can get to it's true blackish coloration.  I have 12 more buds to experiment with so you will see more pictures of it.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Lush spring green..........


The maple trees are dropping there seeds to the ground like falling helicopters. You can see them all over the patio. I will cut out the voluteer maple tree from last years seed. My lady fountain seems to be crowded with the wild rose and the ditch lilies that are growing behind her.  Oh yes, can  you see my little turtle friend hanging out among the foilage.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Hold still !!!!!!!

The secrets to high quality photographs by LD.  I took quite a few of the wild rose, but this was really probably the best one as it wasn't swaying in the breeze.


Here I cropped out the hand, but I don't think it is as interesting as the one at the top.


Three photos today, as this one has the influence of direct sunlight on the side of it  to create a lighter colored flower.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Iris Abstract.......


The season is short for iris so I will be shooting a lot of photos on a daily basis.  This is an iris from my parents place that I brought home to enjoy.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

White Purity.........Neighbor's Iris........


I was over to Judy's house to help replace a cylinder on her storm door.  I took my camera along as she has the best iris blooms in town.  It is interesting how the different colors bloom at different times.  This is her second color to bloom.  I posted a lavender one of her's a few days ago on my Creative Zone.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Mums for fall......


I will need to clip off these buds by July so that they will reset for the fall,  I bought a couple of these plants for my corner lot flower bed. 

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Macro Marigold......

Marigold plants are a pretty common flower but they can give you long lasting color with their simple bright blooms.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Volunteer Maple Tree....


In my flower bed I have these two volunteer maple trees.  Their new leaves look more like fall leaves instead of spring new growth.


They actually are silver maple trees which I have four large ones growing on my property already.  I like them for their age and size but I won't start any new ones on the lot as I would prefer a maple that is a harder wood.  Silver maples like to loose branches or main large parts of itself during strong
winds.

 Day 2*****
As a footnote to this, Abe Lincoln is right, this is not a silver maple leaf.  I have a red hard maple tree on the opposite side of the house that is six years old. Apparently the wind or birds have brought them around to the other side of the house. I am so use to silver soft maple trees coming up all over the property that I didn't even think it unusual except it was red.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Potentilla Bush........



The first bloom of the year on my white potentilla bush.  It has a lot of buds on it ready to bloom. If you are not familiar with this shrub, this flower is the size of a quarter or a little larger.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Windy days........





We are having a lot of rain and a lot of wind, just like the rest of the United States. The cold air is hard to adjust to but I did get out and snap some photos between the rains.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Lily of the valley........


This planting has been here I am sure as soon as the house was built in 1904.  It is around most older Iowan's homes and I am sure the neighbors shared it with everyone.


I have two photos to share today as this one is more in focus than the one above. The leaves in the foreground are columbine leaves.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Columbine......


This is the only variety that I can grow consistently.  It was starting to get dark outside and the rains are suppose to hit for a couple of days. I went out in my winter coat and shot everything I could before the rain weatherizes everything.  I discovered this and was please that after about eight tries I got one in focus.

Monday, May 10, 2010

A new purchase of old......

Yep I know, a grown old man buying ceramic cats.  Oh well, it fits the theme of all the other ceramic pieces that I have collecting dust.

I know someone out there knows what the mark means.  The mall has this wonderful antique store that is so clean that you want to reward them for running a high class place. It has lots of old and a lot 5o's things too.
Thanks for stopping in.........

Two posts for Monday.......

Pink Knock Out Rose

Sunday, May 9, 2010

A candid view.........


A patriotic tool holder sitting on a shelf next to my framing work space.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Allium magic......



 The wind keeps blowing and I just want to show you how many they have become from a dozen bulbs originally.  They are spreading into my grass.  The rain didn't bother them and I don't think the cold will bother them at all.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Friday's findings........seeing green and white and green.


Green


Green and white


White and green.


Hostas continue to add great greens to the garden view.  The spirea was severely smashed down by heavy snow and ice. I wondered if it would have harmed it as I had never seen it to be so flattened down in the 33 years that I have lived here. I thought it would have snapped the branches.  It did come back up but it blooms in sections, at different times.  Usually the entire set of bushes burst into white all the same time.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Summer snowflake......Viburnum.....


I have the sun over my right shoulder and I am wearing a bright red summer pull over shirt. The sun reflected off of my shirt an onto the flowers.  That is such a nice thing as they really are pure white.


Another special effect was the drama that the sun gave me with high contrast. The shadows make it almost seem like a black and white.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Honeysuckle blooms........


The rains here have made this a great year for shrubs that put out blooms. I don't think I have seen this hedge of honeysuckle to ever be this colorful.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Fernleaf Peony........

My three plants are at their peak in blooming while my mom's plant is already done blooming. That plant is an hour south of here and the weather is always warmer and the seasons earlier. I like the shine that the camera picked up on the petals.

Monday, May 3, 2010

New purchases.....


We bought some bedding plants and als these few for a planter. This geranium has an interesting bloom on it and the leaf shapes are more like the ones you see on scented geraniums. The plastic bag makes such a nice background for the photo, huh?  I am getting lazy with my photography set ups.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Snowball bush.......No it isn't Larry!!!!!

Ok, I bought this years ago and it came as a stick. I found a hydrangea, white domed smooth that looks like it but it wasn't that either. You people are correct. It is

Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum 'Summer Snowflake'


I planted this many years ago and this is now the second year that I have seen it bloom. It was amazing how it just started to take off the year before as if it took a few years to get its roots developed.

AS a footnote to the footnote, I posted my find on the internet as to what the plant really is called, not a snowball bush.  Click here to go to my creative zone to see what it is called.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Macro mania.......


The sun is shining for the first time this evening and it caused the bright red geraniums to glow. This is a plant that I kept alive all winter in the spare room. The sun reflections on the blossoms reflect back to the camera as yellow.  This is my expressionist photo for the week.

Blurry Blue Cup Day.....

 It is Monday and I am a little blurry eyed today. It is fitting then my blue cup is blurred a little because it is in low light. I was too ...