These lilies aren’t the first to bloom, but they are worth waiting for. Oriental lilies bloom the latest in the season, but their intense fragrance (one blossom is fine for a big room or more, in my opinion) is so much more thrilling than the no-fragrance Asiatic types. Be careful about brushing close to them, as their pollen can stain clothing.

Pink Oriental lilies bloom in a Seattle garden

Please visit Ruby Tuesday 2, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Pink Saturday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Garden Tuesday, My Romantic Home, and Fishtail Cottage Thursday. Let’s try a new meme, Thursday Floral Love. Thanks for visiting and please come back soon!

At the fabulous Alki Art Fair on Saturday, June 20, the people watch was the best, and it included some folks on paddleboards, or longboards. Not sure which is the right word. If you know, please tell me which is which. Isn’t that cool that you can see Seattle’s Space Needle in the distance?

Paddleboarders off Alki Point in Seattle, WA

Take a peek at Ruby Tuesday 2, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Water World Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday and Scenic Weekends. Cick on the Sara’s Fave Photos letters on top if there is only one photo on view here. Thanks for visiting and please come back soon!

After the first flush of bloom in a rose garden, it’s kind of spotty. Some bushes are totally done, or at least resting, and some, like this magnificent Camelot rosebush, are just exploding with blooms. My rose bed gets some late afternoon light, and have you noticed it’s my favorite?

Peachy pink blossoms adorn a Camelot rose bush in late afternoon light

Linking to Pink Saturday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Garden Tuesday, My Romantic Home, and Fishtail Cottage Thursday. Check out a new tag or category here in the sidebar to the right. Rose, perhaps? Come visit again soon.

I’ve been picking some of the lavender and put some nails in the carport so I could hang up the bunches, tied in rough twine. And before the mint goes to flowers, why don’t you cut some and dry that, too? Mint tea is wonderful.

Peppermint leaves and lavender drying in a breezy, shaded area

Check out Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Garden Tuesday, My Romantic Home, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday and Fishtail Cottage Thursday. Thank you so much for visiting here, and hope you come back soon.

Peach and red nasturtiums with variegated leaves from my patio garden. Don’t you love those round leaves?

Peachy orange nasturtiums with red throat and variegated leaves

Participating this week in Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Garden Tuesday, My Romantic Home, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday and Fishtail Cottage Thursday. Have a great day and thanks for visiting here.

A recent rainbow over my local Trader Joe store in Burien, Washington:

Late afternoon rainbow arches in the cloudy sky

Please visit Monday Mellow Yellows, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Outdoor Wednesday and Scenic Weekends. If there is only one photo on view here, click on the Sara’s Fave Photos letters on top for more pretty pictures. Thanks!

I’m excited about being in the Alki Art Fair tomorrow, West Seattle’s great music and crafts event on the beach. It runs all weekend, but I will be there in Booth 19 just on Saturday, 10 to 6pm. The music goes to 9pm. It’s going to be warm and beautiful, so be sure to wear a hat and come on by. I’ll have lots of new designs of the sparkling Glass Tile Jewelry (sorry, jewelry not available online yet) that my daughter Lila and I make from the pages of my book, “Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory.”

The story of the jewelry: We were at a craft fair selling my books as a holiday gift item. Daughter Lila noticed all the traffic at jewelry booths nearby and said we could make jewelry from one of my books we had with a damaged cover. Me: “Excuse me???” Lila: “I saw it on Pinterest.” Next thing I know, we are in the jewelry business.

Glass Tile Jewelry pansy necklace with heavily plated silver finding on silky black cord

Linking to Monday Mellow Yellows, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, My Romantic Home, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday and Fishtail Cottage Thursday. Hope to see you at Alki Beach on Saturday, July 20th!

Our friends with the gorgeous deck (see post just below) got married on Sunday, and I got to make some bouquets for their backyard ceremony. They have lovely flowers there but it would have been a shame to pick them, and I have so many. Our friends are also neighbors so they strolled over and chose what they wanted, brought the “vases,” and I had fun creating six matching bouquets in a rainbow of bright colors.

Garden flowers getting ready for wedding centerpieces using blue mason jars

See Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Thursday Challenge (Abundance), Water World Wednesday, and Garden Tuesday. Thanks for your visit here!

This photo of my friends’ deck has so much more than geraniums. I want this deck at my home.

White wicker chair invites on a deck with geraniums, fuchsia and hydrangea

Linking to Ruby Tuesday 2, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Thursday Challenge (Abundance), and Garden Tuesday. Hope you come back soon for more pretty pictures.

The Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle was in fine form last evening. Shall we take a stroll to the water?

Gravel path to the waterfront in the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle

Joining up at Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Water World Wednesday, and Scenic Weekends. Please do browse around here before you go, and start by clicking on the Sara’s Fave Photos curly letters on top if there is only this one photo appearing. Thanks!