This photo was taken exactly one year ago at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle. Orchid cactus plants have the showiest blooms, many times a few inches across, but for some reason red flowers are the very hardest for my Canon camera’s sensor to capture accurately, and I wish the petals looked more like the actual plant did instead of like a finger painting. But the white center parts make this flower photo pretty special anyway.

Red orchid cactus, or epicactus, blooms at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle, WA

Joining in at  Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Ruby Tuesday 2, and Macro Monday. Your visit here is much appreciated. Browse around a bit while you are here if you have a few minutes.

Bulbs are great. When you find some that are happy where you put them, their return each year is such a gift. These white Dutch irises are such a pretty sight in my May garden.

Simple yellow and white Dutch iris with moisture from a recent shower on its petals

Check out Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, My Romantic Home, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Macro Monday, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Water World Wednesday, Nature’s Footsteps Waters Sunday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. I appreciate your visit here. Have a great day!

The bees were out and buzzing today. They love some of the flowers, and don’t care so much about others. This perennial blue bachelor button, also called Centaurea montana or Mountain bluet, is almost too vigorous, but what a fabulous, almost-purple color, and on such nice long stems for bouquets.

A bee busily working a perennial blue bachelor button flower

Linking up at Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, My Romantic Home, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Macro Monday, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Ruby Tuesday 2, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. So glad you could drop by. How about trying a new tag or category, while you’re here? My Garden is a good category to browse, just as a suggestion.

I learned the fancy word for what a lilac flower is: a panicle. Seems like a nice, strong word for a flower with such a remarkable shape and fragrance. Unforgettable. The ones in my front yard are finally beginning to bloom. Thank heaven for the garden.

Double lilac flowers decorate the sky.

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I have been so happy with my amaryllis bulb which has now rebloomed twice! Here’s a close up of some marvelous petal detail. Can it get any redder?

Detail of backlit amaryllis petals in close up

You might visit Catching the Light Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Ruby Tuesday 2, My Romantic Home, and Macro Monday. So glad you could stop by. To view the other pretty photo posts here, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

This soft pink hellebore, or helleborus, flower, was in a Garden Club flower show. Aren’t they just the most romantic flowers? And blooming in early February, to boot. The ones in my garden are not this far along, but they’ll get there.

Pretty pink hellebore at a Garden Club flower show

Participating at Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Photog Friday, Catching the Light Monday, and Macro Monday. Please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above for more photos. Thanks so much for visiting, and hope to see you again soon.

A fine image for the beginning of January, don’t you think? This was taken at the most recent NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle, the largest garden show on the West coast. And we will be there! Daughter and jewelry designer Lila, and I, will be showing our jewelry and of course, my Flowers book in booth 2806. Come see us!

Yellow and white striped tulip is almost open

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I love this kind of bromeliad flower. My mom used to live in South Florida (today she would have been 96 years old!) and she grew them in her yard. This pretty specimen was grown by the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle, and it was blooming in May. Since this is one of the flowers in my book about the flowers there, I know the name is Silver Vase Bromeliad, Aechmea fasciata.

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I feel like we need to see a burst of color. This rainbow orchid cactus or Epiphyllum was blooming its heart out at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle last May. In the background on the left is a red anthurium, and see the pretty coleus leaves edged with yellow scallops. What a color blast!

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No, this rose is not still blooming now, but I miss my roses so much. Here is a pretty one that was in the garden in September, a red Snowfire rose, with the outside of each petal in white. The little pocket Canon camera I use (Powershot S95) tends to saturate the colors quite a bit, but it’s still very close to real life. And don’t forget to download the Seven Secrets to Better Photos at right for some simple, no-fuss techniques.

Participating in Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Outdoor Wednesday, Macro Monday, My Romantic Home, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Pink Saturday, and Ruby Tuesday 2. Please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above if you’d like to see all the recent pretty pictures. Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon!