Flower Therapy

I've had a rough couple of days and, rather than tear my hair out or go on a bender, I decided to lighten my mood by looking at (and posting) some of my recent garden photos. It's the next best thing to actually being in the garden. So if you're feeling stressed too, take a moment for some flower therapy (click photos to enlarge)... 

First bloom on my clematis 'Sealand Gem' (I'm 99% sure on the name, but I could be wrong) 

 

Speaking of names, I finally remembered which Explorer rose I've got! It's the 'William Baffin' rose (don't know how I forgot--the guy's only got a massive island named after him). They're not kidding when they say this plant flowers freely! 

 

Delphinium 'Black Knight' (again 99% sure, but...) This is a great plant. It's survived several moves, it's healthy, it's huge, it's got tons of blooms, and it's beautiful. This one's a keeper. 

 

This is the rose you see above, behind the delphinium. I have no idea what rose this is, as it accidentally moved with us from the last house. I'm so glad it did, though! Every year it's got more flowers. This year I noticed a sweet scent (yay). And much to my excitement, the flowers seem to have mellowed from true red (last year) to more of a crimson/hot pink shade. If we move again, this guy's coming with us. I just noticed this picture is sideways. Oops. Still looks nice, though ;) 

 

One of my English lavender plants in bloom, with the 'William Baffin' Explorer rose in the background.

 

This is another mystery rose that came with us from the last place. Planted in miserable conditions (almost no light) it still would bloom every year. I couldn't leave it behind. Now it's much happier, and as a bonus, we accidentally brought along the reddish-pink rose I mentioned above. 

 

Honeysuckle flowers and buds. I love this plant. It smells heavenly and the colour blends well with all the other plants. It's also a very enthusiastic grower. A little too enthusiastic. I've got to train it to grow on the fence...  

Lady's Mantle in bloom. The flowers are pretty, although nothing exciting. The leaves are what make it special, though; after a rain they sparkle like diamonds. Beautiful. It also seeds freely, so if anyone wants a plant...  

This is my 'Viking' climbing rose. Little scent, but once it starts flowering it doesn't stop. It's also nice and healthy.  

One more of 'William Baffin.'  

I bought only one geranium this year (this was the year of almost no plant purchases), but I couldn't resist when I saw it. Why, yes--I do enjoy pink in the garden! 

 

The SO took this shot with my camera. One of several mourning doves that like to hang out in our yard :)  

This is not a black and white picture. It's actually a shadow of the delphinium on a white door leaning against the wall in our garage. I thought it was too pretty not to photograph. 

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These next shots were taken by the SO with his fancy-pants camera. He's only now learning photography and his skills have already way surpassed mine. And he says he's not creative... 

These photos are of one of my California poppies, after the petals have fallen off but before the seed head starts forming. I thought it looked pretty cool.

 

These are delphinium spikes, before the flowers open. They're so tall it's difficult to secure the tops, so they tend to bend over. I feel better now. Hope you do too!

Photos by Whimsy Bower

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