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Monday, May 19, 2014

Continuing Bloom: Irises and Roses May 19, 2014

Welcome to my Monday post.  This week I am linking with-

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

Macro Monday 2, hosted by Gemma Wiseman

Mandarin Orange Monday hosted by Lorik

Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally

A lucky capture of a bumblebee in a Rhododendrum bloom-

Hue adjusted, cartoon filter in Gimp-

This week the Irises are really starting to bloom,

Rosalie Figge iris-


Immortality-

The very exuberant Siberian irises-


And a wonderful surprise, roses are blooming a couple of weeks earlier than usual.  First to bloom this year (other than Rugosas) as usual is Zephirine Drouhin, my personal Queen of the Garden, keeps blooming all summer and until frost, and is fragrant as well-



Monsieur Tillier rose buds-

Hybid Musk Penelope-

Double and fragrant Rugosa rose 'Hansa', Rugosas are the only roses that are thorny enough that deer won't eat them so I don't have to grow them behind fences-

I finally got a Saxifrage I had been wanting, 'Strawberry', and it surprised me with a small bloom, the petals are very unequal in size and the lower ones look like rabbit ears?   I used a cartoon filter from Gimp-

I can't believe spring is almost 2/3 over, but it has been glorious.   Hannah

                                                              or cameras are macro

©Weeding on the Wild Side, all rights reserved.

55 comments:

  1. Lovely shots! I love that first one. :)

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    1. Thanks, Pieni, I like your idea of using old linen for dish towels.

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  2. Oh Hannah,

    You have such a gorgeous garden! I do love the Irises. Thanks for sharing today.

    Have a Happy Blue Monday!

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    1. Thanks, Sally, the Irises are just spring bloomers but will put on quite a show, and I even like their subtle fragrance. I also like that they are poisonous so they are not bothered by the deer, voles, rabbits, and moles, though slugs do enjoy them anyway.

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  3. Your irises are gorgeous! Lucky catch with the bumblebee! Bet he didn't realize that his backside would be on your blog for all to see... Ha!

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    1. Thanks, Sarah, I don't know how some people get such lovely close-ups of bees, my bumbles get all excited and buzz madly about. I find that if I hold the camera out as far as I can rather than trying to look at the screen, I can approach them closer with just the camera, so it has to be pure luck if I get a decent shot at all. I like the way the cartoon filter accentuates the veining in his wings.

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  4. Ohhh...those irises!!! I do love them so. I guess gardeners are always particularly envious of the plants that can't have. That's why I am so envious of you and your irises.

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    1. So true, Dorothy, for me it would be the Lantana, being able to grow Oxalis triangularis outdoors, Canna lilies, and so many flowers not hardy here. I guess we have to be content with the flowers that do grow for us.;-)

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  5. Thanks, Ileana, I so admire your bead flower creation.

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  6. A gorgeous bumble bee shot :-)

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    1. Thanks, Villrose, there are so many but they don't want to pose.

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  7. Replies
    1. Thanks, Gerald, I enjoy them while they are blooming.

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  8. Wonderful blossoms! I've probably said it before, but I love the irises.

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    1. Thanks, Gunilla, I collected them for a while, now I try to divide them occasionally and hope they will keep blooming.

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  9. Wonderful and exquisite flowers! Pure photographic art!

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    1. Thanks so much, Leovi, It is fun to go out walking around to see what can be photographed.

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  10. Your roses are pretty...and Iris was my mom's favorite flower...right behind white daisies.
    xo bj

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    1. Thanks, BJ, I have oxeye daisies bloom wild in my garden every year. They can get a little overexuberant. I like the roses because the bloom season is so long, but I enjoy the Irises while they last.

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  11. Thanks for commenting on my blog earlier. Any time you, or your fam. members would like to ask me questions about art/therapy, don't hesitate to contact me - I love to look for solutions for/advise others.
    Your flowers are beautiful. Am particularly interested in the rose - is that a climbing rose? I thought it's a great idea for a deck or balcony!

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    1. Yes, Zephirine Drouhin is a climbing rose, it is very wonderful, and in addition I should have mentioned that it is thornless! Some of my other climbers just don't bloom a long time like ZD and have vicious thorns that are always snagging me and are such a pain to prune. It is an old rose, too.

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  12. Very beautiful flower pictures !

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    1. Thanks, Gattina, I really enjoy your wonderful insect macros.

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  13. I like what you did with the art photo, bee and all, looks good! rg Ritva's Art

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  14. He's in the midst of lovely pink - lucky bumblebee. Love the irises. They're wearing my favorite color. Saxifrage is a new (to me) word. I appreciate it.

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    1. Thanks, Hazel, I hadn't really seen the flower of Strawberry Saxifrage before, it is unusual in appearance, really fun to photograph.

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  15. Amazing composition and light =) #iheartmacro

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  16. Wow. You really captured a lot of the finer details in the flowers.

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    1. Thanks, Lady Lilith. My favorites in the irises tend to have lighter standards and dark velvety falls.

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  17. Eine herrliche Blütenserie !
    Schönen Gruß,
    Luis

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    1. Thanks Ileana! I'm enjoying the flowers, the Rhododendrons and Irises won't last long.

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  19. Such a wonderfully colorful garden you have!

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    1. Thanks, Betty, I hope you are enjoying your autumn.

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  20. You turned a beautiful flower into a great work of art - I like its water colour, gentle look and the delicate lines. Thanks for sharing on Mandarin Orange Monday:)

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    1. Thanks, Lorik, a great complement coming from an artist. It is my most successful attempt so far.

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  21. That bumblebee shot is amazing! What luck! I love irises. Such a big show and yet so unappetizing to the deer. Speaking of those uncouth ungulates, mine must be hungrier than yours. I tried growing rugosas and the deer picked them clean of leaflets, leaving the spiny twigs and petioles untouched. Darn things!

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    1. Thanks, I tried to get a few more shots yesterday. They are so nervous and won't hold still. I love it when I can plant something the deer won't bother. Sometimes they change their minds and take a bite anyway. I'm fortunate with the Rugosa roses, but you should see my overgrown monsters, they can't even reach most of it.

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  22. Absolutely gorgeous!!! Thanks for sharing the love up-close with I Heart Macro:-)

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  23. How happy all these pretty flowers smile from your beautiful photos :)
    I love roses and irises so much...
    Enjoy a good time and have a wonderful weekend :)

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    1. Thanks, Katrin, I collect little horses like yours for my little carousel.

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  24. Eine sehr schöne Blütenvielfalt.....super Fotos....
    Liebe Grüße, Karin

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    1. Danke, Karin, ich genieße Blick auf die verschiedenen Blumen in Ihrem Garten, wenn sie Dinge, die auch hier wachsen würden.

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  25. Wonderful iris and roses! Such a beautiful variety!

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    1. Thanks, Mary, the roses are just getting started, and will go on somewhat all summer, but the irises won't be around very long, though they end with the Japanese ones.

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  26. Dear Hannah,
    most beautiful pictures and I really like the idea of getting rid of weeds by planting flowers, that can outgrow them! Rugosas are not eaten by deer? I will keep that in mind for the large garden at our hideaway...
    Have a nice wekend!
    Yours Sarah

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  27. Thanks, Sarah, I have some beds where plants, generally geraniums, have taken over sufficiently to choke out the weeds. But there are lots of places in my 2 acre garden overrun by nasty weeds. The problem is that it is our rainy season and so hard to get out to weed, until now the weeds are very tall and going to seed. So, I'm at war and didn't get enough ground covered with newspaper and cardboard last year so I'm doing work I shouldn't have to do just to plant vegetables. But I did get several large areas cleared of brush and blackberry vines last year, and planted grass seed, so mowing will keep the bad weeds out and reduce my work. One person commented that deer ate their rugosa leaves off, but I haven't had problems here. I do find quite a few shrubs that deer don't bother, they are usually on the lists online.

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  28. Its always good when something volunteers to be in the picture! It will be a while before we have bees out and about again.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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    1. Yes, I thought a lot about you entering spring last fall when the flowers were fading and the bees and butterflies were disappearing. I wanted to go live 6 months in the southern hemisphere, but perhaps I enjoy spring more for having to go through fall and winter, and it was restful and had lots of celebrations. I don't know what it is like to have the celebrations and festivities occuring in summertime instead. Perhaps you make more of the ones that occur in your wintertime.

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  29. A gorgeous flower presentation. One thing for sure, that bee knows a good thing when it sees it. Nice job.

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  30. beautiful, both your shared flowers and the artwork. :)

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