Flowers in Winter? Part 2 #WordlessWednesday

Last week, I blogged about a Lenten Rose that had budded out in late December before being subjected to our winter weather.  Snow protected it from cold temperatures but when the snow disappeared, I wasn't sure if the buds had survived. 

It was springlike yesterday and the day before where I live in the Northeast United States, so I investigated the plant yesterday.  Yesterday, in fact, it got up to 74F (23.3C).  Sometimes, that happens where I live but this is not that common.

So, what did I see?

Happy dance!

The only problem is, winter will be returning later today. Early next week, in fact, the temperature is expected to dip into the teens F (approximately -7 C).

So the saga isn't over yet.  I can only hope for the best.  

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday. 

 

Snowy Day Orchid Shadow #ShadowshotSunday

A memory.

A beautiful flower shadow for what should be a snowy and ice-cold day. 

The orchid is starting to drop its flowers now.  I hope I can keep it alive and have it rebloom one day. 

Joining Lisa at This and That: A Blog, for her #ShadowshotSunday. 

Faith Hope and Love #WordlessWednesday

I had an opportunity to walk past the outside of a nursing home where my late mother in law spent her final months several years ago.

I remembered an outdoor fountain with water lilies where we had sat and visited several times. Was it still there?

Yes, and the water lilies were in bloom. 

There were several yellow water lily flowers, which were too far away for my iPhone, but I got this picture of a pink flower.

Memories.... 

This stone was new to me. It said Faith, Hope, Love.

All things we need in these times.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday. 

Hibiscus Color Change #ShadowshotSunday

In memory of my aunt, who loved hibiscus so much, I planted a hibiscus several years ago.

Sometimes, it has a pink blush.  I took this picture early on the morning of August 15 and it may look familiar to my regular readers.

Late on a recent hot afternoon, the flowers looked like this.

Apparently, color change with temperature is a common behavior with hibiscus.  I thought it was due to the flower maturing, but actually there is a scientific explanation involving several chemicals.

Who ever said shadowshots weren't educational?

Joining Lisa at This and That: A Blog for her #ShadowshotSunday. 

Voodoo Lily #WordlessWednesday

At Binghamton, New York's Cutler Botanic Gardens, the voodoo lily was in bloom Saturday.

I was fortunate enough to see it, although I didn't want to get too close (I'll explain why later).

Here are a couple of pictures.   Unfortunately, I managed to cut part of the explanatory sign off in my photos.

This is said to be the largest flower of the plant kingdom.  I've actually seen one once before - indoors.

I dared to come a little closer.  

The sign, incidentally, says "Dracunculus Vulgaris Voodoo Lily Smell my Flowers If You Dare"

I wasn't going to dare.  Some people call it the Corpse Flower, for good reason.

 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for #WordlessWednesday.

Surprise Flower #WordlessWednesday

Yesterday, spouse and I left the house so I could take a short exercise walk during my work lunch break.  

As we walked out of our house, I saw this flower in our front lawn.  This is not anything I planted.

Today, after work, the flower was open.  Here's an updated photo.

It's a colchicum, an autumn crocus.  They grow in our area, although I have never planted one.  Did a bird plant it, perhaps?  It's a pity, though, we will probably have our first frost on Saturday.

Now I'm intrigued.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday

The Sporty Flower

Tuesday, spouse brought home some zinnia flowers he had cut in our community garden so I would have flowers for our table.

If you look at the top flower carefully, it is some kind of mutation or sport (sorry, I am not a botany expert).  It's part red and part white with specs.

We are growing several types of zinnias.  One is an all red zinnia.  We also have "Candy Stick" zinnias.

I took this picture of a Candy Stick zinnia back in 2017.  I think there's a definite resemblance between this Candy Stick and the top of the red zinnia spouse picked on Tuesday.  But I don't think the red zinnia and the couple of Candy Sticks that sprouted this year fertilized each other.  I'm not quite sure what is happening.

A couple of years ago I had a bicolored cosmos in my flower patch.  I saved the seeds but the resulting plants the following year were all one color.

Gregor Mendel or a plant breeder I am not.  Now that the flower is cut (and I wasn't there) it's too late, anyway.

I think many of us are aware that flowers and fruit (and vegetables) can pop different varieties naturally, and keen eyed farmers may take these and create something new for the market.  There is, for example, the story of the Red Delicious apple.

A new bicolored zinnia would have been nice.  The "AM" Zinnia?

Has an unusual flower or veggie ever happen to you?

Flowers Before Winter Resumes #WordlessWednesday

Hard to believe this is the last day of March. Tomorrow begins the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, when I must create a blog post, one for each letter of the alphabet, starting with A.  Tomorrow is A, Friday is B, and so forth (except for Sundays, which is an off day).

So, while I can still choose my topics, I am featuring crocuses in my front yard. 

Yesterday was sunny and mild.  Today it rains.  Tomorrow we are supposed to get a snowstorm with maybe a couple of inches (5 cm) of the white stuff.  Then we all go well below freezing.

We've learned here in the Southern Tier of New York State to enjoy spring while we can.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Inside Impatien Impatient #WordlessWednesday

I can never quite let go of summer.

Every fall, before our first frost, I attempt some cuttings.  This past fall, my coleus cuttings failed but I managed to root a couple of impatiens.  These wonderful shade loving blooming plants were a victim of a blight several years back that affected many gardeners (including me) and prevented us from growing this jewel, but we now have a resistant variety called Beacon.  So, impatiens are back in my flower garden.

For the second year, I grew Beacon, and for the first time, I was successful in rooting two cuttings in water.

Here they are, in bloom in a north facing window. waiting patiently for the last frost.  In our area, that won't be until some time in May.

I can't wait.

Joining up with Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Mystery Plant #WordlessWednesday

Everyone loves a mystery, right?  But there is a reason why I really need to find out what this plant is.

I took this picture yesterday on the side of my house.  Last night, we had snow, so when the sun rises I'm not sure the flower will still be there.

The color of the flower is very close to how I view it with my eyes.  It's probably done for this year. But this plant is a perennial.  It should come back next spring. 

We bought this mystery plant last fall at a clearance sale at a local nursery,  with a couple of others.  Over the winter, the plant tag disappeared (its post is still next to the plant.)  All we remember is that it was supposed to be a late bloomer.

In October, buds appeared.  Now, in time for a hard freeze, it is blooming. 

I asked a friend's sister, who knows her plants, what this might be.  She's still working on it, but suspects it is monkshood.  And she asked if the plant came with a warning label.  Because monkshood is poisonous. Deadly poisonous.  You can get sick just from touching it. But she isn't 100% sure.  It's become a challenge for her, which, right now, she welcomes.

I don't remember any warning label. We certainly wouldn't have bought it.

So, I am reaching out to my Wordless Wednesday readers.  Any thoughts?  If this is monkshood, we need to plan its future.  Its current location is too public.

 

Joining Sandee for her #WordlessWednesday.

Flower Barn #WordlessWednesday

Today, I am (somewhat) taking the day off and depending on my "guest photographer" to provide the picture.

My guest photographer lives in rural upstate New York and takes a picture of this barn every year.  

This year, I want to share it with you.  This picture needs no words.

 

Joining up with Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Beautiful Danger

A cousin in law who lives in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area sent me these pictures yesterday, hoping for a flower ID from me.  At first, I couldn't think of what this was.

This scenery is so unlike the southern tier of New York State, where I live.

It's been years since I've been to the southwest desert.  I was hoping to travel some this summer and fall, newly retired (one of these days I'll blog about that) although still working part time.  I would take time off.

Albuquerque was going to be one of my "maybe" stops, maybe hoping to see their annual balloon festival.

But COVID changed my plans.  Still, I have nature and flowers, and this cousin is happy to exchange flowers with me by text several times a week.

Finally, it came to me, and hopefully I'm right:  datura, also known as jimsonweed.

All parts of this plant can be deadly.  (Yes, this is also the same plant called "jimsonweed" if I've done a correct ID).

One more view of its flower. 

As a bonus, I've included a yucca plant I photographed today at Cutler Botanic Gardens in Binghamton, New York, just as a contrast.  Just a little greener here.  My cousin in law tells me their yuccas out there do not bloom like this.

As bad news continues to pour in from all over our country, I hope this spot of green makes your day a little brighter.

Roses 2020

There are so many sad/angry things I could blog about today, but I am going to blog about roses.

Roses are in full bloom where I live in upstate New York.  We have a local botanical gardens called Cutler Botanic Garden, located in Binghamton, New York.

Although if you look them up it says "temporarily closed" that's only for their classes and special events.  The grounds themselves are open - and free.  It's small but who cares?

It's become one of my traditions to show what is blooming.  I went a little earlier than normal this year -last Friday - to see what was in bloom.  Some of these are heirlooms.  Some have a fantastic scent.

My favorite of these - Belle de crèche.

Balance double de Coubert.  This rugosa dates from around 1892.

Belle poitevine with Bee (bottom flower).  This is a rugosa rose from 1894.

Claire Matin.  Not an old heirloom climbing rose - dates from 1960.

From the 1830's, Félicité Parmentier

Finally, Harrison's yellow, possibly from the 1820's.

So many colors.

It's true - the best things in life are not that far from you.  We are fortunate to have this treasure.

Lilacs and Geraniums

When the lilacs bloom, I think of my mother, who passed away in 1965.  We did not have any lilacs in our yard.  In fact, we did not have a yard.  I grew up in a small apartment in a New York City housing project.

She loved a talcum powder called Lilacs and Roses.

I was fortunate to buy a house that had one lilac bush on one of my property borders.

Eventually, the white lilac of my other neighbor grew big enough that part of it hung over my property.

Several years ago, we planted a third lilac.  This was supposed to be yellow lilac - as you can see, it is not yellow, but no matter.  We love it, anyway.

Our house also came with a climbing rose that our one neighbor told us was possibly 50 years old, but it is now in rose heaven.  But we still have the lilac.

So, last week, I took some of these lilacs and did a little experiment in using kitty litter to dry lilacs so I can use them later in potpourri.  I also am drying some lilies of the valley which will be ready (if it works) later this week.

Once more, I let the scent of lilacs, bring me back, bring me back to the 1960's....

I escaped, and gradually made my way to a little house in an upstate New York village, free to pursue my life and my lilacs. 
Today would have been my mother's birthday.  She couldn't have lilacs but she grew beautiful geraniums.  Now, I grow geraniums in my garden, too.

I've been staring at the screen, wondering how to end this post.  Maybe I'll just end it here, and say, happy birthday in Heaven, Mom.

Crocus and Bee #WordlessWednesday

Sunday, where I live in upstate New York, I saw my first crocus flower.

As I watched, a bee flew towards another nearby crocus.

It landed.

Then it flew to another flower.

Maybe the bee wondered why it was out when it was still winter, but eventually it flew away.

The flower remained, and soaked up some March sun.

Now, Wednesday, the crocus are out in force, although mine haven't started to bloom yet.

The calendar is wrong. We may get one or two more snows, but we no longer care.  Spring is here.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for #WordlessWednesday.

Joining Esha and Natasha for their Wordless Wednesday.

Spring Iris #WordlessWednesday

Spring is here!

Untermyer Gardens, Yonkers, NY

After the long winter, the hope of warm weather once again is fufilled.  Nature is awakening after months of dormancy.  Or, at least it is here about 180 miles (289 km) from where I live.

I believe this is an Iris Reticulata, one of the early spring bulbs that will naturalize.  I will blog more about Untermyer Gardens during the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Join Esha, the Skygirl, and Natasha each Wednesday for #WordlessWednesday.

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