These are Meyer lemons, grown by friends in Northern California. Don’t they just look cheery? Meyer lemons are supposed to be a bit sweeter than regular lemons, but I don’t know. Their fragrance is a bit more flowery, perhaps. All lemons are good, especially in January, when their little sunny orbs are a feast for our eyes.

Visit Macro Friday for more interesting close ups and Color Carnival for more bright colors. And you might try a tag of Yellow while you are here. Remember, if there’s only one photo below, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos to see the rest.

These anthurium flowers aren’t really flowers, just like some bromeliads and pointsettias, with their colored leaves (bracts) looking for all the world like a flower. I just love the way the shine on them lights up in photos. Very photogenic plant. Did you know that some flowers are far easier to photograph than others? During the summertime at the Volunteer Park Conservatory when they had their fabulous display of brugmansia, or Angel Trumpets, I tried with so many photos to capture their magnificent presence. So lovely and graceful in person, and so frequently awkward and charmless in a photo. I do love anthuriums for their good looks in photos, if for no other reason.

Visit Ruby Tuesday and Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival, Macro Friday, SOOC and Macro Flowers Saturday for more photos with a theme idea. And check out a new tag or category here if you have a minute, or you might see what’s new at Free Photos next door. If there’s only one photo below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the rest of them.

And even though I do like the two scenic photos above very much, I’m choosing this one for my Best Post of the Week. If you don’t see any above, just click on Sara’s Fave Photos and they will appear.

Yesterday there was a bit of sun (yay!) and I ran out to the Volunteer Park Conservatory to get some photos of orchids. I might as well tell you that I am working on a book about the flowers there, coming out later this year. My first book, and a very exciting and big project! I think I may use this image in it.

Visit Today’s Flowers, Macro Friday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday, and Shadow Shot Sunday for more neat photos with a theme (that’s what a photo meme is). Before you go, be sure to browse around here and next door at Free Photos, checking out the multitude of photos on so many topics.

When the petals are not just one flat row, the flowers are called doubles. The edge of a different color around the petals is called picotee. These azaleas with maidenhair ferns on the side from the Volunteer Park Conservatory are pretty special for both reasons, and you probably won’t find too many like this in your neighbor’s front yard. I think they are so sweet and cheerful!

Visit Pink Saturday, Color Carnival, Macro Friday, SOOC Sunday, Today’s Flower and Macro Flowers Saturday for more photos with a theme. Be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos if there is only one photo below. Thanks for visiting!

Santa Rosa in Northern California gets almost no freezing weather and so the geraniums live from year to year. This sunlit leaf was photographed on a cold January day.

I am entering the Gardening Gone Wild Picture This Photo Contest for macros taken with point and shoot cameras. I can’t wait to see the other entries using the special camera on a jar technique suggested. Also Macro Friday has lots of neat close ups.

Do browse around here, perhaps the tag “close up”? or at Free Photos next door. New photos coming soon!

Bromeliads are fun. They are pretty like flowers but the center part is only colored leaves (called bracts, I believe). This kind likes to get watered from above and collect water in the center. My mother used to grow different kinds in Florida where they can grow outdoors, and she had quite a collection. This one is in the Volunteer Park Conservatory here in Seattle, where they certainly cannot grow outdoors, or at least not in January.

Visit Macro Monday, Color Carnival, Cactus Monday and Ruby Tuesday for more cool photos with a theme. And do poke around here before you go!

Visiting my friend in Santa Rosa, California, I was so pleased to see her geranium plant blooming, in January! This orchid color is a beauty, isn’t it? Here in Seattle, now that I’m home again, not much happening out there in the garden, but soon, we hope.

Visit Flowers For Today for more flowers from around the world and Macro Monday for more close ups. And if there is only one photo here, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the full blog.

On New Year’s Eve we like to have a crab and cream cheese dip, and to make sure there are enough calories, only with ridged potato chips. Only once a year, but still. So in recent years, I”ve been adding a vegetable plate, also very good to stick in crab dip. This year we got to use the crab we actually caught ourselves in September, which was super wonderful. I hope your New Year’s Eve was as delicious.

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more intriguing images with red. And look around this blog or Free Photos while you’re here, why don’t you?

These are some of my top fave mums. I remember that my mom grew them when I was growing up in New York City (it’s not all tall buildings, you know), and the tiny “spoons” of the petals totally fascinated me. And the scent. I was pleased to see some in a recent gift bouquet I received. Lucky me!

Visit Shadow Sunday, Mellow Yellow Monday and Macro Monday for more neat photos. Do browse around this site, as there’s lots to see. Search here or next door in Free Photos for anything you’d like to see.

Happy New Year to everyone! May health, wealth and happiness be yours, in 2011 and in every year.

I grew these paperwhites and did the vodka-and-water technique I read about on the internet and it worked great. They did not fall over and are doing their festive thing for us. Don’t they look cool in front of our tree? Let’s call this the Best Post of the Week, too.

Happy Christmas and New Year to all!

Visit Today’s Flowers for more flowers from the entire planet and Color Carnival for more bright colors, Macro Monday for close ups and SOOC for straight-out-of-the-camera shots. Check out Free Photos for more flower and scenic photos, while you’re at it, too.