The big rains we had recently had an upside besides the garden and lawn’s deep soaking. Roses do not like to be rained on, but if you get out there during a break, you might find some beauty.

Snowfire rose with raindrops in the garden

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Flowers that return each year, or politely reseed or spread, are big faves of mine. Old fashioned sweet williams have the added bonus of brilliant colors and longish stems so they can go in bouquets. These are on my patio right now. The peach flowers behind them are nasturtiums with variegated leaves, a new plant for me.

Magenta and white sweet williams in front of peach nasturtiums on my patio

Participating in Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Macro Monday, Thursday Challenge (Flowers), Garden Tuesday and Creative Weekends Friday at the Pink Home. Let’s try Orange You Glad It’s Friday, too. If there’s only this one photo here, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos on top to see the rest of ’em.

This is one of those things that you just don’t know until you grow something. When you have a grapevine, in the late spring it gets these cute little sprigs with tiny balls on them that you figure are tiny grapes. But no! They are grape flower buds, which open to nondescript, fluffy blossoms, and then soon are the real grapes, round as you’d expect. Cool, huh?

A grapevine blossoms, with red campion in the background

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It poured really hard. I thought we were in Bali or someplace. As the warm air cleared, I looked to the east and there was a sunset rainbow, complete with a reflection I later saw in the puddle.

Double rainbow at sunset is reflected in a puddle

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It’s raining hard right now (the garden is grateful) but this afternoon before it began I got some photos of the flowers on my patio. I have never had such a display. Finally, luck, a little experience, and decent weather have come together in a symphony of color. Wish you could come over and enjoy this with me.

Colorful flowers bloom in pots and around a Seattle patio in late June

Linking up at Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Garden Tuesday, Creative Weekends Friday at the Pink Home and Today’s Flowers. Have a great day and come back soon, hear?

In Seattle the other day, I saw these raised planters in front of a big building downtown. They are TALL. No problem with people picking the flowers on these babies.

Raised metal planters adorn a commercial building in Seattle, Washington

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Flowers are so lovely, but so ephemeral, their fleeting beauty one of the reasons we respond so emotionally to them. These peonies, roses and snapdragons from my garden are on their way out, but still so worthy of contemplation.

Bouquet with peonies, roses and snapdragons begins to fade

Linking up at Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Macro Monday, Garden Tuesday and Creative Weekends Friday at the Pink Home. Do browse around here. “Bouquet” is a fine choice for the search bar at the upper right for some very fine images, if I do say so myself.

This is a banner year for roses, I can tell. One of my top fave roses is Double Delight with its strong, sweet and spicy fragrance. This elegant rose bud in the late-day light poses with some Proud Land red roses blooming their heads off behind.

Double Delight rose bud begins to open

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Oh, the peonies. I picked a huge bunch of them, just for me.

Pink peony opening in a bouquet

Participating in Pink Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Macro Monday and Garden Tuesday. Trying a new meme, Pink Home, this week. I appreciate your visit here and hope you return soon.

This year the roses in front of my house are doing very well indeed. I fertilized them at the right time and it made all the difference. The sweet alyssum border reseeded itself very vigorously and just adds to the general fragrance. Wish you could come to my house and I’d pick some for you.

Roses blooming in a Seattle front yard garden

Please visit Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, and Garden Tuesday. Thank you for your visit here and please come again soon.