Tag Archives: flowers

Late Bloomers in the September Garden – Photo Wednesday

Here we are, mid-September, and the garden has cooled considerably. A few days of rain about a week ago interrupted a three-month drought in the Southern Gulf Islands. The soil is still not moist enough, but mosses are reviving.

Meantime, in my garden and on the deck, a few plants are joyfully blooming… a last hurrah.
Bougainvillea on the deck. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Above, the bougainvillea that “pouted” all summer long, after a serious clipping back, is now in full glory. That is a close-up of the blooms (the little white flowers) and bracts (the flashy fuchsia/purple “wings”). This plant livens up a corner of the deck… but should come back into the greenhouse in a couple of weeks or so.

 

Succulent Bloom in September. Photo by Andrée Fredette

This is one of my succulents’ bloom. It is an Echeveria, I am not sure which one, though. After a summer on the deck, it is finally blooming.  It also will have to return indoors in a couple of weeks, because it doesn’t like really wet soil.

Salvia Blue Angel. Photo by Andrée Fredette

True blue, that is my name for this Salvia “Blue Angel”.  That shade of blue is very noticeable as you walk to the front door. Took all summer, but is finally blooming its little heart out!

 

Hardy Cyclamen. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And above, a hardy Cyclamen. The previous owners of this house planted some bulbs 30+ years ago, and I never saw these little flowers until we installed a deer fence three years ago. Now, I spot these little angel wings all over the front yard! Very elegant little flowers.

Here is a close-up:

Hardy Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium). Photo by Andrée Fredette

Poppies are red… or not! Photo Wednesday

I love poppies. In my garden, they finished their big show over a month ago, but that won’t stop me from bragging about their beauty. And individuality.

So today, I will overwhelm you with poppy gorgeousness. Prepare yourself.

Picotée poppy. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Above, a picotée in delicate shades.

 

Dark picotée poppy. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And its cousin, in dark shades. Note the hot pink near the center…

 

Poppy Drama Queen. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Isn’t this one the Drama Queen?  Complete with fringe, and high contrast action.

 

Deepest red poppy. Photo by Andrée Fredette

A beauty in deepest red… and hot pink. Absolutely shining in the sun.

 

Light pistil poppy. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Hot colour, light pistil, in contrast with the one before…

 

Cutie pie poppy. Photo by Andrée Fredette

I call this one the Cutie Pie. All pink inside, and deep red outside.

 

Poppy, up close and personal. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Up close and personal with the Drama Queen. Couldn’t resist.

 

White poppy. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Then, there is the white one with pink heart and exotic pistil.

 

Poppy, aging beauty. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And the aging beauty, starting to show its wear and tear, but still showing some flash. Feels familiar!

 

All together now! Poppies photographed by Andrée Fredette

And this is the “all together now” moment. This is just a section of the poppy riot that occurs every spring in my garden for the past 7 years, because I shake the seed heads in late July, and I encourage a whole bed of them to flourish the next year. Best dollar seed packet I ever spent!

Orchids are UFOs

I’ll tell you a secret: orchids are UFOs. They are. I mean it.

Maroon striped orchid. Photo by Andrée Fredette

I accidentally walked into an orchid show at the Hilton in Portland, a couple of weeks ago. These photos are but a sampling of the extraordinary array of … exotic flowers I saw that day.

Yellow UFO orchid. Photo by Andrée Fredette

What a stunning room!

I took pictures with my phone, because my camera’s memory card was full. Duh.

Hot pink cattleya orchid. Photo by Andrée Fredette

I spent a lot of time on my knees, trying to get close-up shots of these extraordinary flowers. Orchids really are UFOs of the plant world.

Orchid copper close up. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Frankly, some of their shapes are almost menacing. The copper one above almost looks like… a monster from a sci-fi movie. Aliens?

Orchid with stripes. Photo by Andrée Fredetet

This striped one, above, is not reassuring either.

 

Orchid with markings. Photo by Andrée Fredette

This pink one with exotic markings was more “conventional”, and almost resembled a pansy. Maybe.

 

White blushing orchid. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And I am going to close this post with a “blushing” white orchid, exquisitely shaped.

I really regret not getting the full ID information on these unusual plants. But there you are. If you are interested, you can get in touch with your local orchid society. Those people will be happy to share their knowledge with you.