These coleus plants used to be quite popular as houseplants in the ’50s. Of course today there are many more types and varieties, but they still are the same flashy foliage, pretty if minor flowers. In Seattle they are grown outdoors as annuals, but you can root cuttings easily and have houseplants during the winter. I am particularly proud of these because I grew them from seed, and it was way easy.

For more ruby redness of all kinds, visit Ruby Tuesday and check out this week’s participants.

There was a chance of a light frost last night but thank goodness, false alarm. Most plants are fine with a brush with 32 degrees, but not nasturtiums. They totally melt. Glad we have some more time with these lovelies.

Visit Macro Monday for more close ups and Mellow Yellow Monday for more . . . yellow (you guessed it!). And this one’s for the Color Carnival folks, too!

I do love this Broadway rosebush. The flowers have lovely long buds, and open to fragrant perfection. It’s one we planted just this summer, and it’s very happy. Next year I’ll be cutting more, but this year I’m holding back so they get well established. But you can always take a photo!

Visit Today’s Flower for more floral happiness.

And visit Color Carnival for the brightest and most creatively seen colors on the web!

I’m still in that rose mood. The sun’s been shining, and there are still some flowers on the rosebushes, although this particular photo was taken a few weeks ago. If only that transporting scent could be conveyed to you, dear readers. Perhaps computing power will achieve that some day, but until then, the photo will just have to suggest it.

For more perfect pinkness, visit Pink Saturday.

FREE PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE: http://creativetechs.com/training/category/10-week-digital-photography-course/ Another plug for the best deal on the web, a free photography course. It’s in the middle of the ten weeks, but on Wednesday they are going to cover Part 2 of Aesthetics, and Part 1 was fabulous. It’s free to watch the online seminar, but if you want to rewatch it or watch later, you have to pay a bit. Totally worth it, and so many free resources on their site. Definitely check it out. Superior to anything I’ve seen out there.

Taken from the shady part of my yard, looking to the sunnier area, you can see there’s no problem with having flowers in shade, thanks to fuschias, wax begonias and red impatiens. I love that they need almost no care after planting except watering. The coleus (those spiky things) grown easily from seed did very well also. The sunflower is a volunteer from feeding the birds.

For more flowers around the world, visit Today’s Flowers, and for more scenic shots, visit Scenic Sunday.

These grew on roadsides where I lived in Northern California, although there they seemed to be a bit paler pink. They are also called Naked Ladies, not just from their blushing tones, but because they grow a rosette of strappy leaves in the winter which die back, and then in late summer the blade-topped stalks push up through the dry dirt all by themselves; naked, as it were. They are wonderfully fragrant and related to the amaryllis. If you grow them, plant in a sunny, very well drained area, and then leave them alone.

For more pink wonderfulness, visit Pink Saturday.

I’ve chosen this post as Best Post of the Week. For more truly interesting self-selected BPOTW, check them out.

And for more brilliant colors of all hues, visit Color Carnival.

On a walk with a friend, I visited the Highline Seatac Botanical Garden this past week. So beautiful. If you are in the area, it’s a must. Not too huge, a perfect strolling size, flat, and wonderful. I really like it, can you tell? I’ve got to go back and really take some photos before the fall weather gets serious here.

The weather has begun a rainy cycle and the roses may not recover. Here is a shot from a few weeks ago. I love roses.

For more visions of ruby redness, visit Ruby Tuesday. And this one is bright enough to qualify for Color Carnival, too. Go see how colorful the world really is.

Since I planted my rose garden only this summer, I am reluctant to cut too much off the new plants, as it can weaken them. So I take a few short stems and put them in a bowl instead of a vase. This photo is one of my top faves.

For more flowers, a regular flower shop of photos from around the world, visit Today’s Flowers.

And for more close ups, visit Macro Monday.

This is one of the simple, old fashioned roses, still so perfect in its way. Visit Pink Saturday for more visions of pinkness.

And Shadow Shot Sunday has great shadows, too!