We were invited to a fabulous home and garden for a party. Our hosts grew these lilies themselves, and there were more bouquets like this, too. Incredible.

This week I’m joining up at Mellow Yellow Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, My Romantic Home, Flower Art Friday, Flowers on Saturday, Pink Saturday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Floral Friday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Try another tag or category while you’re here, OK? Just for fun?

Sunday was Victorian Day, the special 100-year birthday party for one of my top fave places on the planet, the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle. The weather was perfect, and many, many people worked hard to make such a fun and creative event. The period costumes were fabulous! I love the pose of the woman and I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week.

Please check out Pink Saturday, My Romantic Home, Flower Art Friday, Flowers on Saturday, Skywatch Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Floral Friday, Scenic Sunday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Thanks for visiting and browsing around here first.

Not this year’s rose, but taken at this time of year, one of my top fave roses, the Double Delight. Strong, spicy, intense fragrance and usually a very strong, vigorous bush. I’ve got to get out there and fertilize!

Participating in Mellow Yellow Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, My Romantic Home, Flower Art Friday,  Skywatch Friday, Flowers on Saturday, Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Floral Friday, Scenic Sunday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. If there’s only the one photo below, please click on the header, Sara’s Fave Photos Blog, to view the other recent posts. You might find one you really like.

That tea last week was really quite a photo opportunity for someone like me. Flowers, teapots, and shadows everywhere! I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week, but the one below of dusk at Bowman Bay “floats my boat” as well.

View other neat images at My Romantic Home, Flower Art Friday and Flowers on Saturday (new memes for me), Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Floral Friday, Scenic Sunday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. If there’s only one image below, be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to see the whole blog here. Thanks!

The pretty teapot two posts below needs some context. The scene and day was so lovely, I thought I’d show you the deck and tables all set out. Let’s have a tea party!

Participating at Pink Saturday, Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), and Ruby Tuesday 2. Thanks for stopping by.

Hydrangeas are some of my top fave flowers. Not only do they bloom in quite deep shade, as well as in the sun in this latitude, but they are super easy to propagate. When cutting back in the spring (they bloom on old wood, so don’t go too far), take some woody stems you’ve pruned and stick them into the ground pretty well, under the mother plant so they get shaded and do not dry out. Keep them watered and maybe in July, check on them and I bet that more than one will be sprouting new leaves, showing you it has rooted. Dig it up, pot it up, and voila, a new hydrangea plant!

One other thing about hydrangeas: as shown by their name, they need water! Do not let them dry out, and wilting is hard on a plant. But at least it will forgive you and recover, if not too very dry.

I am participating in Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), and Floral Friday. If you have arrived here via a link and there is only this one photo below, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the complete production.

One of the members of our local Garden Club does teas so very well. Her deck is just heaven on earth on a lovely summer day. Yesterday she put on one of her famous teas for us, and dressed the tables up so prettily with mini-bouquets in tiny teapots. I love this idea and must get some small teapots to do it, too.

More cool photos at Pink Saturday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Monday, Scenic Sunday, Color Carnival, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, and Ruby Tuesday 2. Thanks for visiting here, and come back soon!

Close to the water at Bowman Bay, part of Deception Pass State Park in the Pacific Northwest, were growing these pink flowers, which I’m pretty sure are in the thistle family. They were about waist high. In the background is the pier into the bay, a lovely stroll out towards even more beautiful views.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday and Macro Monday for other interesting images. So glad you could drop by here.

My friend with the pretty hostas can do flowers so well. Here’s a sunshiny shot of the flowers on her shaded deck. Yes, there were cookies and iced tea, too!

Interesting sites for you: Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera).

This rose, which I believe is called Simplicity, is growing in a neighbor’s yard. It’s very healthy and seems to get no care at all. I’d like to have a rose garden with only tough, healthy roses like this, but how can you really tell in the nursery? Does “disease resistant” really mean anything? And don’t mention Knockout roses, because they still don’t have fragrance. Why bother with roses without fragrance?

This photo post is participating in Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera). Thank you for visiting here. Browse around to see what you can find. Click on the tag Pink, perhaps?