Was at Seattle’s beloved Volunteer Park Conservatory yesterday and was just gaga at how gorgeous the outside beds are this season. What colors, and this photo does not do it justice. The purple stuff is heliotrope and sometimes it has a heady fragrance.

An update about the Conservatory: It’s now out of the woods financially, due to the fundraising efforts of many dedicated folks, and if you go you’ll pay a big $4 admission, but you can get an annual pass for unlimited admissions, and still free parking! Closed Mondays.

Flowerbeds outside of the Volunteer Park Conservatory with purple heliotrope

More neat photos at Outdoor Wednesday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Thursday Floral Love and Scenic Weekends. Thanks for visiting here and please come back soon. Sign up for email notifications at upper right so you don’t miss even one pretty picture.

Our local town, Burien, WA, has a new artwalk on the first Thursday. Don’t you just love these fabulous car eyelashes on the shiny red car we saw while strolling around?

Eyelashes decorate a red VW beetle at a Burien WA artwalk

Check out Outdoor Wednesday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Weekend Reflections, and Straight out of the Camera Sunday. I appreciate your visit here!

I’m on a lily kick. These are in a close neighbor’s garden. I heard that all lilies used to point down and be droopy, so when a grower managed to get it facing up, he or she called it Stargazer. Great name.

Stargazer lily in dappled sunlight against a wooden fence

Check out Monday Mellow Yellows, Ruby Tuesday 2, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Pink Saturday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Weekend Challenge (Pink), NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Garden Tuesday, Thursday Floral Love and Fishtail Cottage Thursday. If only one photo appears here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos above for the latest photoblog posts. Scenic and flower photos are almost guaranteed.

These lilies aren’t the first to bloom, but they are worth waiting for. Oriental lilies bloom the latest in the season, but their intense fragrance (one blossom is fine for a big room or more, in my opinion) is so much more thrilling than the no-fragrance Asiatic types. Be careful about brushing close to them, as their pollen can stain clothing.

Pink Oriental lilies bloom in a Seattle garden

Please visit Ruby Tuesday 2, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Pink Saturday, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Garden Tuesday, My Romantic Home, and Fishtail Cottage Thursday. Let’s try a new meme, Thursday Floral Love. Thanks for visiting and please come back soon!

Peach and red nasturtiums with variegated leaves from my patio garden. Don’t you love those round leaves?

Peachy orange nasturtiums with red throat and variegated leaves

Participating this week in Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Garden Tuesday, My Romantic Home, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday and Fishtail Cottage Thursday. Have a great day and thanks for visiting here.

This photo of my friends’ deck has so much more than geraniums. I want this deck at my home.

White wicker chair invites on a deck with geraniums, fuchsia and hydrangea

Linking to Ruby Tuesday 2, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Thursday Challenge (Abundance), and Garden Tuesday. Hope you come back soon for more pretty pictures.

This little hen-and-chicks sedum on my patio is only maybe 1.5″ or 4 cm. across, but it has an amazing flower (see 2nd photo below). I like these succulents because the circular leaf pattern looks like a flower, and then it HAS flowers. The individual pink flower is half an inch or so across.

Today’s Flowers is showing a couple of my photos this weekend. Be sure to visit as many of the participants as you can, and leave a comment so they will know you visited.

Little green and purple hen-and-chicks sedum rosette

Small pink sedum flowers with yellow centers

Joining the fun at Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Macro Monday, and Garden Tuesday. Please browse around here and come back soon!

Just went out to the garden and saw that the hydrangeas are beginning to show color. Such flower excitement! This one was a gift from friends who needed the space for something else. This year it has recovered from the move and is blooming beautifully for us in a shady spot.

Glowing Embers hydrangea begins to show color in late afternoon light

You might visit Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Macro Monday, Garden Tuesday and Creative Weekends Friday at the Pink Home. And for some easy tips on how to take better flower photos without any fancy equipment, see my free “7 Secrets” download at the right. Thanks!

The big rains we had recently had an upside besides the garden and lawn’s deep soaking. Roses do not like to be rained on, but if you get out there during a break, you might find some beauty.

Snowfire rose with raindrops in the garden

Linking in to Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Water World Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Fishtail Cottage Wednesday, Macro Monday, Garden Tuesday and Creative Weekends Friday at the Pink Home. Thank you for visiting here.

It poured really hard. I thought we were in Bali or someplace. As the warm air cleared, I looked to the east and there was a sunset rainbow, complete with a reflection I later saw in the puddle.

Double rainbow at sunset is reflected in a puddle

Participating at Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Ruby Tuesday 2, Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Water World Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Weekend Reflections and Creative Weekends Friday at the Pink Home. Don’t forget that if you arrive here and see only one photo above, do click on the Sara’s Fave Photos Blog curly letters at the top to see everything else.