Hosta flowers can be quite dramatic.

I really love this image and I am calling it my weekly Top Shot.

Hosta flowers with yellow and black anthers

Linking to I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Our World Tuesday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. If there is only one photo here, to see some others, click on the curly letters of Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above. Thanks!

I let some leeks in my garden flower. Why some are white and some are purple, I do not know, as all the leeks seem to be the same earlier, at harvest time. Don’t you love the round balls? Bees sure do.

Leek flowers in the garden, in lavender and white

Linking up to Garden Party Thursday, Outdoor Wednesday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Our World Tuesday, NF Catching the Light Monday,  My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here!

My gardener friend Sherry (she of the canning jars below) has some beautiful Collette pears on a tree in her garden. This pear is perhaps 3″ tall (8 cm) or so. A ways to go, still.

Collette pears ripening on the tree

Linking up to Skywatch Friday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, Outdoor Wednesday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Scenic Weekends, Our World Tuesday, NF Catching the Light Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, and Saturday Show Off. Please try a new tag or category, while you are here. Thanks!

I had to look it up, but these stargazer lily parts are stamens, which are the pollen-bearing organ of a flower, consisting of the filament and the anther. I know you had better not get that pollen on your clothes, either—stain city. But inhale that fabulous perfume!

Pink stargazer lily with white edges shows off its perfect, pollen-laden anthers, with daylilies in the background

Joining I Heart Macro Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Scenic Weekends, Our World Tuesday, Pink Saturday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. If there is only one photo here, please click on the curly letters of Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see a few more. Thanks!

My friend Sherry has a fabulous garden and cans her own food. I am envious!

Pickled stringbeans, canned carrots and other goodies from the garden, home canned in jars.

Linking up to Garden Party Thursday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, and Saturday Show Off. I appreciate your visit here and please come back again.

This is a cat we used to have who has gone to kitty heaven. Rose was a very good guard kitty. She used to make sure everything outside was as it should be. She is missed.

Female orange marmalade cat gazes out of picture window from a tabletop

Connecting with Camera Critters, Pink Saturday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Weekend Reflections, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. If you have a moment, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above for more heartfelt pictures here.

Visited my favorite Seattle haunt, the Volunteer Park Conservatory last week. You can see that restoration work is progressing on the Seasonal House on the right. Full project is due to be done in December. Aren’t the outdoor plantings lovely?

Restoration of the Volunteer Park Conservatory is progressing nicely

Joining Skywatch Friday, Our World Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Garden Party Thursday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here first.

Last year at this time my lilies were in full bloom.

Magenta, ruby and pink lilies on my patio against a blue sky

Posting to NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Garden Party Thursday, NF Catching the Light Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, Thursday Challenge (Flowers), My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here.

I love this kind of hydrangea and they sure reward a close look. Those teensy white centers!

Tiny white flowers in the center of the blue hydrangea petals with some purple veining

Participating in NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, Thursday Challenge (Flowers), and Saturday Show Off. Thank you so much for visiting and please come back soon.

Leeks are remarkable plants in the garden. The first photo is the bud enclosed in its casing, with several inches of a green spike on top, looking like an alien hairdo. Below that is the ripe casing falling away, and the buds of the flowers showing themselves. They are at about eye level for me, so a bunch of them make quite an otherworldly show.

Leek flower still in its casing in the garden

Leek flower (about 2″ or 5 cm) with unopened buds, emerging from its papery casing

Joining NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, Thursday Challenge (Flowers), My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. I appreciate your visit here and hope to see you again soon.