Since it’s so gray and cold out now as we approach the winter Solstice, let’s take a look at its opposite, a scene from my garden in June. Isn’t the pink, fluffy meadow rue sweet? Looking at the photo data I see that it was taken at 6pm. It’s a long time dark at that time now, of course. But isn’t it nice to know that the sun will return, in all its garden glory?

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, and Weekend Flowers for more photo entertainment. Fun and free! Of course, feel free to browse around here first, perhaps checking out a new tag or category. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog.

This Japanese maple leaf is from my front yard, photo taken last week. The dark leaf color is already gone, with only red ones now, but I thought I’d show you the combination of the purple it was all summer and the autumn red just beginning.

Take a look at Ruby Tuesday, Macro Friday, Macro Monday, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera). And do click on the Sara’s Fave Photo banner to see the complete blog here before you go.

It rebloomed! I’ve read all kinds of complicated instructions, but they sound like way too much work to me. All I did was keep it in a sunny (south) windowsill and keep watering it with the weak liquid fertilizer in the water that I always use for houseplants (so I don’t have to remember when to do it). Like all bulbs, amaryllis must have great drainage. After the leaves died back I still kept watering it when it was very dry. And lo and behold, a serious flower stalk emerged two weeks ago and now is in full bloom! The only other thing is that they must be inside a heavy pot because they are so top heavy and can easily fall over.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Ruby Tuesday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Macro Friday, Macro Monday, and Macro Flowers Saturday if you have a few minutes for some photo fabulousness. Be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos to view the complete blog if you see only one photo below.

We have two columnar apple trees, about six feet (two meters) tall and two feet wide at most. They bear full-size apples! With apples, you must have another tree for pollination, so you need two trees, or a neighbor with an apple tree. The trees never get much bigger, so you can have them in pots. We used to have them in big pots on our deck, but when we moved to this house we put them in the ground, and they are happy. This year my hand-pollination efforts, and the plastic sandwich bags against pests, paid off well, and we have a bumper crop. Time for apple sauce!

Take a look at Macro Friday, Macro Monday, Ruby Tuesday, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, and Shadow Shot Sunday if you have a minute or two. Browse around here with a new category or tag (“My Garden”?) and click on the banner above, Sara’s Fave Photos, to see all the posts here.

Last year I planted several different lilac shrubs in front by the street. I had a few flowers this spring (they are young plants, and lilacs are very long lived and so take their time about flowering) but this season I am surprised to find that some of the leaves are yellow, some purplish, and some have these pretty red and yellow leaves, with pink tones. All right!

Try some new sites: Mellow Yellow Monday, Ruby Tuesday, Pink Saturday, Macro Friday, Macro Monday and Outdoor Wednesday. Quite interesting, you’ll see. But first, be sure you have the complete blog on view here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos.

Hope you don’t mind a visit to my rose garden in July. This lovely is called Front Page, and it’s very fragrant. As a rose should be! After all, with so many flowers to grow, why deal with thorns and black spot if not for the fragrance?

Try checking out these cool meme sites when you have a chance: SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Shadow Shot Sunday, Scenic Sunday, Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Macro Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Ruby Tuesday and Outdoor Wednesday. Whew! Don’t forget that if there’s only one photo below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the rest of them.

I took this photo from my bedroom window exactly a year ago. This year I found out that the horse in our neighbor’s pasture absolutely loves to eat those cosmos flowers which I planted much too near the fence. Next year I’ll plant enough for both of us.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Pink Saturday and Weekend Flowers, if you have a minute. And if there is only one photo below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos to see a nice assortment here.

I have a hanging basket with four Rieger begonias planted in it, and each fall I take it in, it dies back, and in the spring as it starts to come up again, I repot it and put it outdoors. Very easy and successful. The four plants are similar but not the same, so it makes a great display, blooming in mostly shade the way they do. A very good plant!

Take a peek at Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Macro Monday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Pink Saturday, and Today’s Flowers, for more fun in blogland. See the complete and up-to-date blog here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos, here or on the banner above.

There’s nothing like natural light, is there? These cosmos from my garden were catching just a bit of sun in their vase on the windowsill. This image, like most of the ones I show here, is straight out of the camera. When the light is right, most of the photo is just right there for you. Keep your eyes open and be quick!

Visit Pink Saturday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Today’s Flowers, Color Carnival, Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Weekend Flowers, Shadow Shot Sunday and Macro Friday. See the complete and up-to-date blog here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos, here or on the banner above. The light and shadows in this one float my boat so I’m calling this my Best Post of the Week.

A few posts down there’s a vase with rose stems, and you probably wondered what the roses looked like. I would have! Here they are, straight from my garden, for your viewing enjoyment. So sorry computers aren’t quite up to transmitting fragrance, yet.

Visit Ruby Tuesday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Color Carnival, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Macro Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday and Macro Friday, if you have a moment. If you’ve arrived via a link, getting to the latest posts here is easy: just click on Sara’s Fave Photos above.