Monday, June 22, 2015

from soft pastels to bright red blooms


You only thought you had seen the last of this bucket of peonies, right?
You probably remember the bucket from the lilac post too.
I picked it up not long ago for the purpose of gathering flowers from the garden
in and then transfer them to vases,
but they never seem to make it into the vases.
I can be a very lazy stylist when it comes to photographing anything.




Here are more of the lilac photos I took this spring when they were in bloom.
The last of the lilacs finished blooming a little over ten days or so.
I have lots of different varieties, and that extends my bloom time some.

I always say I wish they bloomed all summer, but then wonder if
they would mean as much to me if they did.
I'll take them when I can get them...along with the peonies.




  
The lupine and iris are beautiful this year. 
These deep purple iris are just finishing up this week. 
I love how tall this one is.
It stands to almost my shoulders and makes 
quite a statement in the beds.
It was given to me by a professor from Idaho State 
University when he and I served together on the governor's  
state board for children with disabilities. 
In his time away from instructing, his
hobby was breeding lilacs and this is one his. 


  

 ~and now for the bright red part~
I have many favorite poppies in my garden, but this one below
has got to be at the top of the poppy list. 
It's name is Beauty of Livermoor and has amazing height for a poppy,
 and while it doesn't hold it's color long, it is gorgeous while it does.

  
It's difficult to establish in my garden for some reason, but once it does
it's a show-off!
 
 In one spot in my garden it reaches 5'. In others, it stands about 4 1/2'
So cool!
  

Every day there's something special out there to take a photo of 
or cut and bring into the house.
As you can guess...there's very little house cleaning getting down around here.

hugs from here


51 comments:

bobbie said...

Pretty pretties!

Have you sen our long range forecast??? 109 - 110 next weekend; 108 this Saturday ~Y.U.C.K!!!

Stay cool ~~~

Row homes and Cobblestones said...

June,
I am always in awe of the beauty you grow, I just know it comes from your heart. How I wish I could meander through your garden, admiring, feeling the earth in bare feet and joyfully returning home with a bouquet you've cut for me in my hand.
xoxo,
Vera

Rosemary and Thyme said...

Be still my heart June. Your flowers are magnificent and your photos truly capture these delicate beauties in all their glory.

So many varieties and colors. Isn't it wonderful to be able to pick flowers from your own garden. Thank you for sharing all this beauty with us. I feel so much better.

Have a lovely week.

Janet

Jacqueline~Cabin and Cottage said...

So glad you have your priorities straight! Haha! But really. We have to savor every drop of summer. Your poppies must be such a sight so tall. And what drama in the mix of red and purple! What joy in the personal connection with your irises. Just lovely.

Katherine said...

I love the dreamy, soft flowers you plant. It's so pretty to see elegant flowers blowing in the breeze - really my favourite type for the garden. I want to add poppies to my garden and have been searching for just the right ones. I'll keep these ones in mind - they are beauties.
I read the comment above about the soaring temperatures and once again realize that there is nothing we can do about the imbalance that Mother Nature bestows on us. I'm hoping for more heat and sunshine this summer to get the new plantings established.

Thanks for sharing the beauties from you garden.

Hugs
Katherine

Susie said...

June, Your flower gardens are the best. I love poppies. I like then with daisies or queen Anne's lace. The purple of your irises is amazing. Blessings to all at your house, xoxo,Susie

Deborah said...

Oh my goodness June!
So so lovely!
I am just drooling here. I love every beautiful image here!
I wanted to ask you how you dry your peonies. Mine are ready to come in to our home and Im not sure what I should do to dry them.
Thank you!
Blessings !

All my heart,
Deborah xpxp

Michele M./ Finch Rest said...

I savor your glorious beautiful pictures.

Thank you for sharing. SO pretty!

Diane said...

What a gorgeous red. You may think you're a "lazy stylist" but your pictures are amazing, June. Beautiful purples, too. Diane

Victorian1885 said...

Oh June ..... I just love my visits to your Blog! Wishing we lived closer as I would love to stroll through your gardens with you.
Enjoy your week...
Hugs,
Wanda

chateau chic said...

It is always such a delight to be invited into your spectacular gardens, June! Your plants and flowers are so lush and gorgeous. It's obvious that your heart and soul are so intertwined within the beauty of God's glorious creation through nature. The house cleaning can wait! :-)
Mary Alice

Blondie's Journal said...

Yu can never over-use a favorite container!! Love is love! The peonies are precious and I agree...we could get spoiled. And hey! I finally planted my first lilac bush! I'm so exited. Have you ever thought: I should have done this 20 years ago and now it's too late? Well I'm done with that bull! It's so tiny- I hope I'm around to see it bloom! lol! And the iris? Is it a bearded iris? I know I've seen the spring variety but I'd love something for summer. Our spring is too cold to get out and enjoy anything.

So sorry I've been remiss. Gosh----life. I love blogging but it can be a task sometimes. I love all of you ladies but sometimes I'm too exhausted to open my laptop. :(

Jane x

One Shabby Old House said...

I need to become just half of the "lazy stylist" that you are. lol It is always and I do mean always a visual treat to come visit.
Hug,
Becky

Lin from A {tiny} Cottage In The Woods said...

How I love walking with you in your garden, June! I do think lilacs and all the other short-blooming flowers are all the more special for only appearing for a little while. Enjoy all their beauty and wonderful scent while you can!
Hugs,
Lin

Mary W said...

As I sit inside to keep away from the sweltering heat and drink my morning coffee, a friend sent me a lovely bouquet of flowers to enjoy. It was such a nice treat after being overloaded with my daily life stuff.

I'm sitting here enjoying flowers and coffee and wanted to say thank you for a beautiful moment and mini vacation for my mind. Your pictures are always beautiful and full of life - even when its dried flowers. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to share your gorgeous garden. I appreciate this more than you'll ever know.

Debbie said...

Gorgeous shots of your peonies, and lilacs, June!
The iris and poppies are stunning!
LOVE your garden photos!!
Enjoy.
Debbie
xo

Lana Manis said...

Dear June, I think I would be satisfied looking at your garden photos all year long if I never got mine established! Peonies, lilacs, and irises... all favorites of my sweet Mama and I always think of her when I see them. The lilac bush she gave me years ago had to be cut down last year and I thought I had lost the one little sprig we had saved. But this spring... one little green leaf popped out... and another and another. It's now about 10" tall and I am praying it survives. Irises are something else I want to get started because mom loved them so much. Yours are gorgeous! And those poppies.... sigh... you inspire me so much! Thank you for being such a blessing. ♥

Junebug said...

How pretty! I'm trying this post from the island of Roatan. Sure wished you were here enjoying all the tropical flowers with me. Beautiful!!!! But I must admit after a week I miss my yard. I keep wonder what blooms I'm missing. ENJOY SWEET ONE \ June

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Your garden is so beautiful, it just makes me smile! You are a wonderful steward of your little patch of the earth, June!

HECHO A MANO said...

Every flower are fantastic. Yours are prettiest. I love your garden, your home, and your wonderful good taste. Thank for those nice images.
Love .
María

Ricki Treleaven said...

The photos with the bucketful of peonies are sooooooooo pretty! OMGoodness I *heart* them! Your garden is a dream, too. I love your posts! You are a talented gardener, stylist, and photographer! Wow!

xo,
RJ

Anonymous said...

Bom dia!Muito belo o seu jardim !

DD's Cottage said...

I absolutely love seeing all your photos of your flowers and your garden --it just makes me happy! some day I want to be able to photograph things as well as you do! goal!

Dorthe said...

Yes every day there is something especially beautiful to see in the nature of God, and in our gardens,
And yours is especially beautiful, I think, dear June, so stunning colours, and flowers.
Thank you for showing dear friend.
Hugs, Dorthe

Hélène Flont , french illustrator said...

Bonjour June!! Sumptuous pictures as always for our viewing pleasure.

Things and Thoughts said...

It's a blessing thing to have this paradise around you June! Flowers can provide so much beauty in the garden, in the house, in the heart.
Olympia

Junkchiccottage said...

June,
Just swooning over your beautiful pictures.
Kris

Home and Lifestyle said...

Your garden is a paradise!! I always love it to see all the wonderful pictures you made. I am sure my comments are often the same, but it's always a pleasure to read your post and not to forget...your lovely comments for me!

My English isn't very good but I am sure you understand what I mean. Thank you so much for your friendship, dear June!

Sending you my best wishes!!

Ingrid

Burlap Luxe said...

Hi JUNE, it's a garden inside and out.... I wonderful it must be to be your garden, and to have you as its Village gardener :)

That wonderful Green, Granny Smith Apple green farmhouse table? ..... So wish it were mine, it's a wonderful sweet place to have fresh blooms placed.

Always like looking through the pages of a magazine here.

See you soon beautiful.

Xx
Dore

NanaDiana said...

Lilacs are my favorite of all spring flowers. I adore them-I have one that was gifted to me several years ago and have never seen one like it. The woman called it a French lilac. It has blooms that are a medium lavender and the blooms are from 15-18" long- very full and heavy and highly scented. It is amazing and everyone asks what kind it is and I have no idea.

I have never seen that color poppy before- it is gorgeous!!!! xo Diana

Różana Pracownia Wandy said...

Piękne zdjęcia - nie mogę się napatrzeć na wspaniałe kwiatowe aranżacje - wszystkie wyglądają wyjątkowo - zachwyca mnie delikatny kolor piwoni, gleboki fiolet irysów i czerwień maków , które przypominają mi dzieciństwo - pozdrawiam serdecznie

Colette said...

Hum, I love those soft delicate pictures, the peonies staging is so perfect.
Xx from France
Colette

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Very little cleaning going on around here and I don't have the excuse of a garden to draw me outdoors. :) Such gorgeous, gorgeous blooms and equally beautiful photos. I've never seen poppies that tall. Saw some small ones as ground cover in Jerusalem when we were there in February. That iris is such a deep purple. Wow! So wonderful to be surrounded by such beauty. Best wishes, Tammy

HWIT BLOGG said...

Lovely and beautiful pictures from you again...
Warm summerhug,
Titti

Custom Comforts said...

Your gardens must be heaven on earth June. Everything you grow seems prettier than what it is here. I think some of the prettiest gardens are in the coldest areas of our country. You never cease to amaze me with your beautiful photos.
Hope all is well with you and you are enjoying your summer. We have had a very hot, humid, and rainy one so far, but not complaining. So many people have had such severe weather and damage.
Cindy

Mantelilaakson Susanna said...

I love the photos of the Lilacs!!
Wonderful flowers from the garden!
Have a lovely summer!

john said...

I adore peonies and I always feel sad when one plant "goes over" but then there is always another beauty to take it's place .....have a lovely weekend...Gail x

Robin Johnson said...

Oh to spend just ten minutes in your garden . . . what a treat that would be. I of course love your photo's you always have things styled so beautifully. I love my peonies and lilacs also and wish they bloomed longer. I swear my lilacs where in bloom a whole two days this year. Didn't get a single stem picked. grrr.

Julia @ Vintage with Laces said...

Hello dear June, It's always a treat to take your garden tour. I love the deep purple of the iris and the lupine. Normally, I'm not so much into bright red flowers but your poppies are a real eye-catcher and very pretty!
The peonies look gorgeous on your sweet green table. You have the summer inside and outside your lovely home.
Have a great week!
Hugs,
Julia

Unknown said...

Oh my...your garden looks like a piece from paradise.The combination with the lupine and the iris is so beautiful <3.Your pictures made me smile,they are splendid.
Have a wonderful week.
Hugs
Caroline

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Hi June,
Oh what I wouldn't give to be able to grow peonies here in the coastal south. But it just ain't happenin! I tried some last year and they just sat in the pot and laughed at me.
Love the pretty photographs that you create. That Lilac bush is beyond amazing as are the poppies.
I love coming over here and getting a daily dose of loveliness.

hugs
Sissie

A Cozy Cottage in the City said...

Hi June! I cannot believe it's been 2 years since I last posted or commented! I haven't blogged until just recently!!! Anyway, I am ALWAYS in awe of your garden photos....just breathtaking!!! Thank you kindly for sharing all of the beauty!

As for me, well - I'm back in school and will be done at the end of the year. It was kind of challenging, considering I have a family - but I'm doing well.

Hopefully, I can squeeze in a few more posts before the summer ends. Take care and so happy to see your photos again!


Jessie

Ivy and Elephants said...

Your poppies are magnificent! I had no idea they grew to such heights, they don't grow here. Your garden is a delight, the house work can wait! Have a happy 4th!
Hugs,
Patti

Jade said...

Your my Queen of roses, dear June...........nobody takes better rose pictures than you.........so full of beauty and poetry! Its always a gift to be here! Have a wonderful summertime,

with love, Jade

Rostrose said...

Dearest June,
whichever flowers you like to show us - your photos of them are always amazing! Pastel peonies and wonderful lilacs, huge iris, magnificent lupins (mine are always eaten by the snails!) - and your gorgeous-red poppies are true eye-catchers!
We just returned from a trip where we also saw gorgeous gardens, dreamlike nature ... And the sea, which I love so much!
Life is so beautiful and exciting, every year thereof I enjoy - that you may also see in my face. I am glad that you're not afraid of a few wrinkles, too! Really sad, how some actresses ruin their faces with cosmetic surgery ...
Thank you very much for your sweet comments!
Lots of hugs, my dear, and a further happy summertime!
Traude

vitadrömmarobusigabarn said...

Love youre pictures
Have a beautiful day!

suziqu's thread works said...

Oh dear June I can only imagine the time and the joy you are experiencing in your garden at the moment. There is so much in flower right now. The purple iris is so stately standing so upright in all it's glory along with that pretty similar shade of lupin. Those poppies are divine. I have had similar in pink but they are hard to grow here not sure why but we do have a pretty smaller wild mauve one which is so sweet.

Thank you for sharing so much beauty here especially with the lilacs and peonies once again - they are a gentle reminder when there is so much bare around me at present but I love to see the trees like this once a year also.

Thinking of you with love and fondness,
Suzy

HWIT BLOGG said...

Your garden is like a dream...a dreamy beautiful dream...love all your flowers!
Have a great week, take care.
Titti

Mimi Sue said...

Your garden is so beautiful! Love the iris. One of my sweet little neighbors divided some a few years ago and gave me some. She has since passed away but when her iris blooms I always remember her and her kindness to me. Mimi

Half-heard in the Stillness said...

Your peonies are so so gorgeous June, and then that iris is such a wonderful deep jewel colour....and then there's the poppies,wow they're stunning!!!

Hope you are well my lovely friend, I keep hoping I'll turn a corner soon surely. Mind you the weather this summer has been phenomenal even here in the North. For one week too too hot for us, wer're not built for it, and as 'creaking gates' and what my kids call, 'wrinklies' it can be draining. But hey...what the heck, the sunshine makes more people smile!

Hugs to you June,
Jane x

Cindy said...

Your garden is crazy beautiful! Oh my gosh! Those red poppies beside the pink iris are incredible. ... and the tall iris! How do they not fall over when it rains? I love that they get that tall...

Cindy