The little plants I showed you a week or so ago are going gangbusters. Sweetpeas like to be picked, you know, so I must pick bouquets with fragrance like no other to enchant me and give away. What else can I do?

Here’s how to raise great sweetpeas: 1) You must nick the seed with nail scissors, then soak overnight in a dish of water before planting. The seeds are big and pretty easy to handle and it really doesn’t take long. You will see that the nicked ones swell and are ready to go and the ones that didn’t get the outside casing pierced sit there, small and hard.

2) Plant as directed, indoors in early spring if you want.

3) When planting outdoors, put them in a place where heat will not be a problem if possible. An eastern exposure like these have helps. But the big thing is, sweetpeas love manure. When planting, dig a double handful of bagged steer manure into the soil around each one. Then wait patiently for heaven in a flower to appear.

For more floriferous photos, visit Flowers For Today. Everyone likes flowers!

And hello to the Color Carnival crew. We all love bright colors; such a happy feeling.

I love roses. I grow them, smell them, photograph them, as much as I can. This one was in a Federal Way garden. The owner said it’s a David Austin rose, and that’s all I know. The big old bush was loaded with them, but this one was perfect.

Visit Pink Saturday for more pink perfection.

It’s still June, so how can you resist roses? Here’s one for you to wish you could inhale off the computer screen. Some day, I am sure, it will happen.

For more rubiness of all kinds, visit Ruby Tuesday, here.

This clematis just knocked my socks off. And the rain didn’t hurt the photo either. For more marvellous macros, visit Macro Monday.

We’re planting a big rose garden out in front. What a lot of work! But it will be worth it, absolutely. This is one of the 18 roses waiting in pots, named Broadway. In a rare burst of sunshine, it created this shadow, almost like another petal form. Visit Shadow Shot Sunday for more fascinating shadows.

Peonies are some of my favorite flowers. Their mysterious depths, the petals like angel feathers, the indescribable fragrance—plus when peonies bloom, summer is not far behind. This one bloomed the other day in my garden; such a welcome sight.

For more Pink of all types, shapes and sizes, visit Pink Saturday.

These perky flowers were at a home I visited recently. I was so impressed with how healthy and vigorous they are. I learned from Digital Flower Pictures, (link on my blogroll to the left) that they are called Blanket Flowers. I like them!

Happy Ruby Tuesday to all. Check out more rubiness there, seen by eager eyes around the blogosphere.

And hello to the Color Carnival folks. Is this bright enough, do you think?

We planted so many bulbs last fall, some tried and true, other new ones to take some chances. This is one of the ones I’d never heard of. And it’s fragrant, like most white flowers, a bonus! So amazingly graceful. And for other close ups, visit Macro Monday and take a look around.

I belong to a garden club, and my favorite part is that every three months, people get together and bring things they’ve grown that are beautiful. I find them irresistable to photograph. Here’s a sprig of azaleas, oops, now I see they are rhododendrons!, a peachy pink color that I am in love with. And if you’d like more pink, hie on over to Pink Saturday.

This rhodie photo is one of my absolute faves, so I think I’ll include it for Shadow Shot Sunday and Flowers for Today, and what the heck, let’s go for Macro Monday while we’re on a roll. All those meme sites have super participation from talented photographers, so take a look.

This tree was blooming so intensely in my recent trip to the Bronx (New York)  Botanical Garden. On Wednesdays you can walk through the grounds for free. Such a deal! I’ll post a photo every now and then from that amazing trip; must save some for the long Seattle winter of no flowers. Hope you like it.

I found out about a Pink Saturday photo meme, and it looks delightful. This ought to qualify!