Flowers

Blackberry flower by the river, with visitor.

Thistle bloom (better large, I think)

Spiny thistle bud and its "armored" visitor In the Pip, a blooming thistle from the same plant.

Well, somebody has got rosebushes as tall and untrimmed as mine! ;) So tall, in fact, they looked like they were just about ready to spill over and had to be contained with a fence. In the Pip, a shot from a different angle perhaps shows even better how they seemed to reach for the sky. HFF!

In our garden, there is only one "formal" plant that I actually bought and planted myself (the rose bush that grows on the grave of our feline friend Virgola). All the others were either there before us or came as rescues. In the main image, the lovely flowers of a rescue potted hydrangea that finally seems to have come into its own. In the clickable Pips, resident lace cap hydrangeas and rescue geraniums that also seem to be enjoying their new home.

This geranium too came to the garden as a rescue. The first year it produced only one very small flower, but now seems to be happily showing off its beautiful red velvet!

This hydrangea plant has lived in my garden for longer than I have. It was there when we bought the house and had been there for many years already. In my ignorance, I thought its unusual flowers were due to its age, but actually it's a variety called lace cap, with smaller florets in the middle (not yet open here) and a crown of showier, larger flowers all around.

the rescue geraniums seem to be doing great!

To me, there is no summer without poppies. I particularly like the papery, ethereal textures of the wild poppies. Like the sprigs of wild grasses that seem to almost always accompany them, they dance in the slightest of breezes and in nearly every picture I take they get portrayed in a slight blurriness. This one was obliging enough to allow me to capture a bit of the details of its frilly black core. In the PIP, poppies and wild grain sprigs.

In the main image: geraniums finally ready to emerge from their hairy buds! :))) first PIP: thriving oxalis second PIP: volunteer wild daisies (Mexican fleabane) third PIP: hydrangea taking its sweet time blooming :D fourth PIP: tiny hunter in the geranium jungle ;)

Somebody must have told the rosebushes it's May: all of a sudden ... roses everywhere! Sometimes in places where you have to crane your neck to see them. In the main image: Virgola's rose - so named because we planted it over our kitty's grave. In the pips: potted rosebushes we rescued from a neighbour's yard after she died and her plants were abandoned. It took them a while to bounce back from being left without water for quite a while, but now they seem to be doing well. Ok, except the rose coloured roses that are way too tall because I am totally inept at trimming rosebushes ;) Have a nice Sunday, everybody!

A second HFF for you today. On my "hamster walks" around the garden perimeter I noticed a new presence by the fence. I have never had periwinkles in the garden before and can only imagine that they somehow crossed over under the fence (my neighbour used to have them, but after she died a firm came and "cleared out" her garden, ripping out everything). Nature, however, does not give up easily and this little plant's resilience gladdened my day. Hope it does the same for you!

The iris is a little “architectural” marvel. From a furled-up lance, its petals unfold to form a complex structure that is clearly designed to take the best advantage of pollinators’ visits. Three of the petals arch upwards and overlap to form a canopy that protects the core of the flower, while the other three uncurl downwards like stuck-out tongues, revealing a delicate brush laden with pollen. Finally, inside, three more petals, smaller and slightly up-curled, enclose and protect the inner chamber, the source of the nectar. A visiting pollinator is therefore obliged to squeeze its way over the pollen brush, in order to reach the nectar inside, while we get to enjoy one of the most interesting and oddly shaped flowers in nature. :)

A couple of days of gusting winds knocked off the inflorescences from a neighbour's tree and they ended up getting caught in all sorts of places around the garden. I was fascinated by their colors and shape and took a few photos (see also pips). If anyone knows what this tree is called, I would very much appreciate the info!

Colorful details from the garden In the main image a tiny bronze coloured bug on my rose bush In the pips (top to bottom): 1. fallen physalis flowers 2. a rue twig against a terracotta shingle 3. new green leaves against the old shed wall 4. new green leaves composition 5. trio of pink flowers 6. fig leaves unfolding

The plant, leaves and fruit look very much like wild strawberry. Only the bright yellow flower gives it away (as would, of course, your disappointed taste buds if you put the fruit in your mouth expecting a strawberry experience ...) as a different plant, a "mock strawberry". They are just starting to flower now and part of my half-wild garden is beginning to light up with these tiny yellow suns nestled in their artsy green crown.

This rose bush grows where we laid to rest our beloved cat, Virgola. The tree canopies grew thicker since then and this spot by the old wall no longer gets much sun, but the bush faithfully puts out its new shoots every year and I liked the contrast between its bright colors and the faded old paint on the wall.

A Japanese quince bush all dressed up in its fiery red spring color. I love the waxy texture and showy hardiness of these flowers. These grow right up against a garden fence on the street side, which allowed me to stick my camera between the fence posts and take a close up of a group of blossoms surrounded by a sea of their siblings.