Oriental lilies are the latest in the summer and the most fragrant, I am told. Worth waiting for! And they will bloom in part shade, another plus. A lily grower in N. California told me that they like having low plants at their feet, like oxalis, perhaps, or some other low forest plant. All I know is I adore their smell.

Visit Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Today’s Flowers, Macro Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday and Macro Friday.

Bonus photo: Here I am at my book launch at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in the Bromeliad House yesterday. It was so much fun and such a great experience! Thank you to all who helped make it a success.

I am pleased to announce that so far, the squirrels seem completely uninterested in the raspberries which are bearing this year for the first time. As opposed to, let’s say, strawberries, of which I have picked NOT ONE. Nuts. I guess I can’t complain, having so few garden pests or predators, but still. You grow them and you want to eat them, or at least taste them! I’ve also learned that raspberries, even unwashed and in an open container, get moldy after three days or so in the fridge. I won’t let that happen again.

Visit Ruby Tuesday (and these berries are ruby colored, for sure!) Color Carnival, Macro Monday, and Macro Friday. If there is only the one berry photo below, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the rest of them. Thanks for visiting!

I believe that the name of this rose is Simplicity, but if anyone knows for sure, I would appreciate your letting me know. I saw it in a neighbor’s yard on a walk yesterday. I love this flower, and if that’s the name, it surely is perfect for it.

Visit Pink Saturday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers, Outdoor Wednesday and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera). Clicking on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner above brings you back to the latest post here, always.

Reminder about the free Open House Aug. 4 at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory where I’ll be signing my new book! Hope you can make it.

Last week it rained, before the beautiful weekend we enjoyed, so of course I had to head out to the garden when it stopped. I’m enjoying the daylilies this year in their varying shades of orange, burgundy and peach. I think I have a yellow one, but it hasn’t bloomed yet.

Visit Wordless Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Ruby Tuesday for more fun photos.

Please see my Big Announcement below if you missed it! And thanks for visiting.

It’s party time! Thank you to all my blog readers and followers who have supported me over the last three years by your encouragement and creative, thoughtful comments. You gave me the confidence and courage to actually do this! My new book, Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory: Blooming Month By Month is just about here and we are ready to ship books very soon. My Best Post of the Week, for sure!

This book was born from a dozen or so visits to the Conservatory here in Seattle over the course of a year. It changed so much each time I visited. I was entranced and enthralled by the beauty of the displays and the opportunity for thrilling, perfect flower photos, and could not believe there was not even one book about this incredible gem of a place. Thus this book was born. Side note: The flowers on the book’s cover image are brugmansia, or Angel’s Trumpet.

The launch party and free Open House is coming up next week at the Conservatory on Thurs., August 4, 2011, 6-8pm, so if you are in the area, please do stop by and say hello, and get the very first look at the book in person.

By the way, there is a special pre-launch price available to my loyal readers. More info about the book is on the home page lovethatimage.com (you can always get there by clicking on the photo banner at the top of the page) and the order info is here.

This cover image qualifies for these memes: Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers, Pink Saturday, and Ruby Tuesday. Thanks again to all meme hosts and participants for your encouragement on this big, big project.

At an after-hours meeting at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory about their campaign for needed restoration, of course I couldn’t help taking a few photos. Thank goodness that the last time I was there I snapped a photo of the cheat sheet they had posted, a key to the outdoor plantings, so I know that this amazing geranium is called ‘Mrs. Pollack. Even though it’s just coming into flower, that hardly matters with foliage like this.

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Ruby Tuesday. Clicking on the Sara’s Fave Photos banner above brings you back to the latest post here, always.

And if you are in Seattle on Thursday, August 4 at 6-8pm, please come to the Conservatory’s free Open House and book signing for my new book, Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory: Blooming Month By Month. Take a tour and meet the author!

Garden flowers that come back by themselves, like bulbs are perennials, make gardening so much easier. But annuals that reseed themselves are perhaps even more welcome, as they have a long flowering period and can be moved around, when they are small, for a good effect. And I love the abundance of them, having planted dozens and dozens around the garden for a very good show. For free!

Visit Pink Saturday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Color Carnival and Today’s Flowers. You might try a new tag or category here before you go, though. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos to get to the newest post here.

And please come to the Open House at the Conservatory Aug 4, 6-8pm, to launch my new book!

Hope you are not getting tired of all these macro photos lately. This one is a leek plant in my garden. I love the way they look in the vegetable bed, very tall and sculptural with the big ball flowers—like the rest of the onion family. For eating, though, I think it’s best to remove the flower stems early and then harvest soon. Leeks sure are good in soups and such, I found out this spring. But do let at least a couple go to seed for future harvests.

Visit Today’s Flowers, Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Wordless Wednesday and Watery Wednesday for more photos with a theme. Memes are great! Do browse around here first if you have a minute, remembering that if only one photo below, clicking on the top Sara’s Fave Photos banner brings you to the complete blog.

I am told that the coral poppy I showed a couple of posts below is an icelandic poppy. These are quite tall, and I didn’t know that icelandic poppies got so big, but I’m no poppy expert. Here’s another look, for your pleasure. This photo keeps fascinating me, so I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week. Hope you agree.

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Shadow Shot Sunday, Pink Saturday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Ruby Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday and Today’s Flowers. Please do click on the banner above, Sara’s Fave Photos, to see the latest photos here. And thanks for visiting!

This poppy is from some seedlings my friend gave me last year. I was surprised to see this kind of poppy. Are they Iceland poppies? There are some exquisite red ones as well as this amazing coral pink color. They are quite tall, about 3 feet or a meter. Anyone know what kind they are?

Visit Macro Flowers Saturday, Macro Monday, Macro Friday, Color Carnival, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Today’s Flowers. While you’re here, do click around here and there to see what you might find. I promise many pretty pictures for you!