Almost Lost it All!

LOL..don't panic!...not as bad as it sounds...

Playing with Blogger template, and wasting endless hours yesterday, I was trying to add some cool features I've seen out there. After copying and pasting and making the changes, I hit "Edit"...and the screen went blank!! Can you imagine the drop in my stomach? Not to mention all the *unmentionables* I screamed! Scrambling to hit the back arrow...not sure why...BUT it worked!

Changing the background color and layout wasn't the problem...I was trying to be artsy and add some fun features...oh well! Blogger has been strange lately, too. The "Follow" widget isn't working for me and a few of my links don't load properly....anyone else having issues?

So the result..no change! I'm just thankful I didn't accidentally erase the whole darn thing!

Back to the garden...here's what's blooming today ;)


Blackberry Lily...

Queen of the Prairie...

My 3 in 1 shot...

Anyone know of a good how-to site? I'm clueless when it comes to HTML codes! I can laugh about it now, and have more or less given up....at least for the moment. Better luck next time!

My Lucky Day!

I've been spotting hummingbirds every day in the garden, but, after endless tries, I was ready to give up capturing them on film...until today!

Early morning, I am standing here. Wedged between the fence and large clump of monardas. Ooh...nice angle for a picture... I wait, patiently. Suddenly, not one but 4 hummers were zooming about my head! They were diving in and out of a nearby crabapple and playing tag...so fun to watch! Of course all the attempted pics in motion were no good!

Next approach~bring a chair, sit, and wait some more (thinking of you, Frances!). They would swoop down every few minutes but by the time I got the camera aimed...gone! Then the battery died....oy!! Quick change and I was back...this time with more luck! All in all, these were the best of the batch.

Bummed I couldn't get more than one at a time...

The dark background here are white pines.

Can't miss him here...

See him? He's well camouflaged here. So....all it took was 2 hours, a lot of patience, a little light-headedness (no coffee yet) and, the best prize, a bee sting on my arm...ouch!

Rain, Rain, DON'T Go Away....

I'm happy waking up knowing the garden has been watered. Yippee! One chore I can cross off my list today! Heading out in bathrobe and slippers..(of course, camera too!), let's see how things are looking. Even on a dark day, these blooms are quite bright!

Especially white blooms..they almost glow!

Gooseneck loosestrife...one of those love/hate plants for me! I swear half of the compost bin is filled with it! Pretty in bloom right now though...

Okay, what was I thinking, slippers are soaked! Good day to get back into bed....even the view off my bedroom bay is inducing sleep...*yawn*It's still early, but fingers are crossed for one of those days where I can say...oops, can't go out..too wet! So rain, rain, please come back and stay a while. Hope you're having an off day from yard work, too!

Fertilizer Friday!

TGIF! A big thanks to Tootsie, http://tootsietime.blogspot.com/, for hooking us up with Fertilizer Friday!

To my wonderful friends who've gotten to know me through this blog, you know that I am emphatically in love with daylilies! So I'm dedicating this Fertilizer Friday post to my favorite bloom. Each clump is lovingly tended to with magic blue crystals and daily whispers of love...yes, sad, but true..lol! Don't you talk to your plants? These are just a few from my growing collection.

Miracle-Gro does wonders...me thinks! An example is the amazing growth on this 'Wineberry Candy'. With 7-way branching and endless buds... this is how she blooms everyday for weeks!

'Siloam Double Classic'..

First bloom on 'Catherine Neal' yesterday. Those who love Bela Lugosi...this one is even darker!

'Love Those Eyes' is a great name for this vibrant combination.

''Moonlit Masquerade'...I love the scape height on this and the dark contrasting eye...new this year but surely becoming a...you said it..favorite! 'Elizabeth Salter'...I'm amazed at how huge these blooms are.

A pass-along from Renee, is 'Glowing Delight'. Strutting her stuff...'Strutter's Ball'! Opens in a rich, deep burgundy and holds her color pretty well throughout the day. Late afternoon...

Also two views of 'Chance Encounter'...

A new addition last fall, 'Night Embers' has stolen my heart! Bud count not as high as I'd hoped but with only 2 young fans, the blooms are breath-taking. Not shown clear here, but there's a white edge around the ruffled petals. And living up to her name...'Bright Sunset' rounds off the list today.

Hopefully, the rain forecast for tomorrow will be accurate. It would be nice to take a break from the daily watering. Enjoy your weekend!

Things are Looking Up...

Actually, it is ME who is looking UP at things!

'Tis peak bloom time in my garden these few weeks...just like for everyone else ;-) But instead of my usual head-on shots, I thought it'd be fun to experiment with different angles. So...up, down, sideways I looked through the lens. On my knees, crouching, and even thought of climbing on the roof...lol. And focusing mainly on the plants, I hadn't realized how amazingly blue the sky was...until now!


Shasta Daisies, swaying in the breeze, made this hard to capture clearly.

You would laugh seeing me here...on my back, head in the dirt! as these 'Profusion Cherry' zinnias are only 8" high. Dog walkers passing were probably saying 'WTHeck..!" But I didn't care!

Morning Glories in one of the pots I showed earlier.

I was just trying to get a macro shot of the MG...didn't notice the wasp until after...look at the cool center glowing!

Meadow Rue...this stalk is over 9 feet!

Loosestrife...I haven't had problems with this plant being invasive in my garden...yet.

From the sunflower family, an annual 'Melampodium' growing between clumps of Neputa (catmint). Tons of bees here but they left me alone.

Oriental lilies with 'Mary's Gold' daylily.

This beautiful foliage is the reason I love my tri-colored beech.

Many hours and hundreds of photos...narrowed down to just a dozen...phew!

Next, I'm thinking it would be cool to get an overall view of the garden...maybe I will get up on the roof. Well, maybe tomorrow...I still have a kink in my neck!

It's a Beautiful Morning...

There's an ethereal quality about the garden in the early morning light . I find this time to be the most peaceful and beautiful. The flowers are much more saturated in color..and capturing them on film is easier than in the bright of day. With coffee and camera in hand, I take a tour...It's a daily ritual.

A spent frond of an aruncus..which I didn't even notice when it was in flower!

If you're not quite awake, this bold purple phlox will certainly open your eyes...

So far so good with the tri-colored beech. My second attempt...I'm determined to make it grow!

Beautiful oriental lilies have been outstanding performers..3 wks. now!

A totally lucky shot!

These are 'just' Stella D' Oros...I say that because it's the most common variety of daylilies grown.

"Oh No! It's that lady trying to blind me...again!"

Food for birds...provided by this wild honeysuckle.
Hope you enjoyed the tour. Head out early tomorrow and see what beauty awaits in your garden...