We have plenty of rain right now, but not the pretty, tall flowers nodding in it, yet. This macro of a mauve pink cosmos flower, grown from seed and drooping with rain in my backyard last September, will remind all of us gardeners that the season of blossoms and lushness will come again.

Visit Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Macro Friday, Pink Saturday, Today’s Flower and Wordless Wednesday for more photo fun. Before you run off, take a look at the newest photos “next door” at Free Photos, and maybe a tag like Flowers or Rain here (at the right). And one more thing: click on Sara’s Fave Photos if you see only one photo below.

We’ve had a LOT of rain. Seattle doesn’t actually get very much rain per year, only about 36″ in an average year. What we have a lot of, usually, is cloudy and dim. But this month has been quite rainy, and due to the late onset of summer, the plants were looking better than they usually do at this time.

Here’s a shot of my backyard cosmos after a recent downpour.

Visit Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday for more great photos with a theme. And if you feel like it, try a new tag or category here, first. Return to the latest post here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos here or above.

I like this photo very much, the graceful arc of the stem decorated with the rain gems really speaks to me, so I’ve tagged this post Best Post of the Week.

This is the third year for this hanging begonia basket. Doesn’t the recent rain make the petals look even better? Picotee means those pretty edges of color it has, by the way.

I bring it inside in the winter, it dies back, and in the spring I give it fresh soil, feed it some acid fertilizer and voila! This year the weather was so un-summery that it didn’t really bloom until the beginning of September. So much for summer flowering. Well, I’ll enjoy it all fall until the really cold weather when it will come in again.

Visit Flowers for Today for flowers from around the planet and Color Carnival for brilliant color; Macro Monday and Mellow Yellow Monday are also great sites, and SOOC has more straight-out-of-the-camera shots. Such fun!

While you are here, try a search for something like “begonias” to see this plant last year, perhaps. And if you’ve arrived via a link or a search engine, you can always click on Sara’s Fave Photos above for the latest posts.

The other day there was some rain (what a surprise) and then the sun came out. This was taken at my friend’s garden, with orange alstroemeria in the background. Can you see the tiny flowers upside down in the raindrops?

Visit Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday for more wet and fresh air shots. And Weekend Reflections has really cool reflection photos.

If you like, you can click on a tag or category and see some previous photos. Returning to the latest post is easy: click on Sara’s Fave Photos.

This is one of the 150 or 200 tulips we planted in our garden last fall, photographed the other day after the soft rain stopped. I totally love them.

They take a lot of work to plant, you know. In the fall in a spot with excellent drainage, you have to dig quite deep, a good foot. Fill back half way, improve the soil with compost and a couple of handfuls of bone meal, then place the bulbs (a few inches apart) on that, about six inches from the top surface, pointed end up. Fill the hole with more good soil, and wait eagerly for spring.

Visit Watery Wednesday after your visit here for more water photos of all kinds. To return to the full blog with my latest post on top, click on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

Today I am posting two flowers in honor of being Guest Friend on Flowers for Today, where you can see lovely flowers of all kinds posted on blogs around the world.

Here are some snapdragons from my garden, “snapped” mid-October in a sunbreak after a rain, with my house in the background. I grew these from seed so I’m extra happy with them. If we get a mild winter they might even live over to next year.

Below the snaps is a red, red rose, taken in a Wallingford garden on the same day as the snapdragons.

This is also a post for Color Carnival, site of brilliant colors in photos.

PLEASE IGNORE IF READ BEFORE: I’m repeating this info about the 2009 Photoblog Awards. If you like my photos, please vote for this photoblog and leave a comment in the link  below. You have to register (name and password only) and then click on the word Vote in the upper left. Thanks very much! Photoblog Awards 2009

Watery Wednesday is here, and all is dry today here in Seattle, but a few weeks ago this pond told a different story.

Again, anyone have any CafePress.com experience to share?

I just love the way the water droplets (this is Seattle, after all) look like rubies on the leaves. This was on a walk just a week or two ago. At least I got the bulbs planted before the recent deluge.

For more ideas about the thrilling color red, click HERE. Maybe post one of your own?