Monday, February 04, 2008

Time in the Garden

































I cut back / dead headed lots of roses and picked some pink ones for the coffee table, on Staurday evening in the cool. Yesterday was overcaste and much cooler so I spent a good part of it weeding, watering, tidying and admiring. Bumble bees fought each other for the spikey Echinops heads ( globe thistle ). I noted the contrast between those spikey heads and leaves and the smooth round leaves of the Ligustrum hedge.

Although I thought I was being careful one of the tiger lilies put pollen on my trou - it stains.

About a month ago the Alstroemeria almost dried off, with the dry, so I gave it extra water for 2 or 3 nights and it has rewarded by covering itself in those lovely red blooms again.

The strange berry / flower is on a NZ native Astelia silver spears.

9 comments:

meggie said...

Thank you for sharing your lovely flowers! It made me remember when I was a kid, my Grandmother had those beautiful Tiger Lillies in those colours! How I loved them. Yes the pollen does stain!
Love the roses too, can almost smell them.

Paula, the quilter said...

Is the pink one a tiger lily too? It looks like a stargazer to me. You are making my really antsy for spring. I'm sitting here at my desk (at work) and watching it snow and snow and snow.

Unknown said...

Beautiful flowers.

loulee said...

Beautiful summer flowers, especially nice as we're battered by winds and rain here up north. Makes me wish I was down there with you. Soon, Hunney promises me, soon. Though we'll be heading a little farther south, to Timaru.

molly said...

Your blog is better than a botanical gardens website!

kirsten said...

Those pink lilies make my heart beat faster! and your gorgeous photo is as close as I'll get in this climate :)
Thank you!

Ali Honey said...

Paula, the Tiger lily is offically Lilium lancifolium, also called Lilium Tigrinium.

While you can get pink tiger lilies I don't think these of mine are because mine have strong perfume so are probably Lilium Auratums.

Alice Grace said...

I love your lovely flowers! the colors are so vibrant! Thank you for sharing!

Suzi-k said...

that echinops is lovely. we have a similar looking plant indigenous to this area, with orange flowers. This is the first time i have seen a purple one. I loved your post about where you are from. Those days of our innocent childhoods, so precious. i wonder if kids growing up today will ever be able to live with such innocence, the world has become such a threatening, complicated place!