The Shy Gardener

It's September and the bees are in a frenzied state gathering every bit of nectar and pollen they can from the late season flowers. They need to gather enough food to survive the winter. The bees bump each other off flowers in their eagerness . . . and roll around collecting pollen in a frantic state. Some bees collect pollen in baskets on their hind legs and are able to carry almost half their body weight. Late season flowers such as sedum, asters, goldenrod, phlox, blue spi

There is a treasure in my neighborhood that is unexpected and beautiful. In a garden, in a small pond, is the most wonderful lotus plant. The leaves are bigger than my head, the flowers are glorious and the seed pods, so interesting. The woman who has the lotus says she doesn't own it but rather she tends and cares for it. "Who could own such beauty?" she asks. The lotus is a mysterious flower, so luscious and amazing. It has breathtaking elegance and delicacy. It is not sur

I am intrigued by nature's transformations finding them beautiful and unique. Observing these transitions over days, weeks and years, I photographed seasons changing, flowers blooming, and berries ripening. Recorded trees in spring going from bud, to flower and finally to leaf. Though I have enjoyed watching all aspects of nature transform . . . the transformation of flowers holds a special place for me. Peony Black Eyed Susan Aster Zinnia Allium Hydrangea Anemone Daffodil Pa

Iris EYE-riss well known and loved perennial beautiful blooms in many colors and forms good in beds, rock gardens and wet areas around 300 species can be bearded, crested or beardless from bulbs or rhizomes #flowers #garden

I love the smell of dirt on my hands after they have been scrubbed clean. It means I have been digging in the garden long enough that the fragrant proof cannot be erased. My joy from gardening is only slightly less than that of my boys' joy from playing in a mud pit. I am similarly all smiles and dirt though nobody takes my picture because of it. After spending the winter largely inside I am eager to get out into my yard. I jump into spring clean-up mode which reconnects me w

Primrose PRIM-yew-lah most bloom in early spring over 400 species grow in varied conditions sun to shade, wet to dry thrive in woodland areas prefer a cool climate #spring #flowers #garden

Spring is my favorite season. It is the season of my birth and of new beginnings. Spring buds hold the promise of hidden beauty and bring their own kind of bling. Some buds are subtle and only hint at what is to come. While others show their color from the first. As the buds begin to open a colored haze surrounds the trees. Spring buds delight even before their eventual flower or leaf has fully emerged. But some buds really bring the BLING. So I enjoy the journey through spri