The rain has really come, and the garden needs it, but I’m still not ready to show rain-soaked photos. This one is from just a few days ago. The weather has been so unusually sunny that this cosmos plant is a self-sown seed volunteer from seedlings I put out this spring! Enjoy your weekend, and visit the other Pink Saturday participants.

The sunny weather finally ended, and we’re looking at at least a week or two of rain and showers. Today I was out after a meeting in Wallingford and saw this rose still showing the rain from a few minutes before. I just can’t seem to get enough roses lately, but I think the rain coming up will put an end to them for this year.

For more water of all kinds, visit Watery Wednesday.

I’ve decided that this is my Best Post of the Week. Check out what other bloggers think is the week’s best.

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!

Here’s a photo with reflections for you. I’ve heard about a new meme called Weekend Reflections and I thought I’d participate. And this one, like most photos I show here, is straight out of the camera, or SOOC.

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.

You’ve gotta love backyard tomatoes. It’s just remarkable how different they are from store-bought, even those “on the vine” ones with the green tops they sell these days. The complexity and magnificence of the flavor of a homegrown tomato is just . . . well, words fail me. Hope the photo helps a little.

For more fascinating macros, visit Macro Monday. For more photos with at least a splash of yellow, visit Mellow Yellow Monday. And heck, let’s get Ruby Tuesday in on this as well! Anyone for more bright colors at Color Carnival?

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.