Well, the NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle is over until next year. We had a lot of fun, met some wonderful people, and sold some books, jewelry and prints. Here is a photo I took of one of the florist competition bouquets. Such loveliness.

Lavender roses and orchids in a lovely NWFGS bouquet

Joining up in Monday Mellow Yellows, Catching the Light Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Macro Monday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Ruby Tuesday 2 and Pink Saturday. Stop by and visit them if you get a chance. Thanks so much for stopping by here! Remember, if there is only one photo visible here, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to see the rest.

Here’s a view at Seattle’s Woodland Park Rose Garden, from a June solstice a few years ago. It’s been raining here, or completely overcast, since the second week in October and I, for one, want to look at sunshine and flowers. Hope you do, too.

Joining up this week in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, and Ruby Tuesday 2. To see all the latest images, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above. Thanks for stopping by, and hope to see you again soon!

These pink English roses were at the home of the same friends who grew the incredible lilies a couple of posts below. What a garden they have!

I’m joining in at My Romantic Home, Flower Art Friday, Flowers on Saturday, Pink Saturday, Weekend Flowers, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Friday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2.  Please click on the Sara’s Fave Photos Blog letters above if there is only one photo below. Believe me, there are lots of others here!

Years ago I used to shoot TriX film. I learned to develop my own film, make contact sheets, and print enlargements in the darkroom with a red light. Shooting black-and-white film was a great exercise in learning to “see.” I chose better subjects and composed the frame better when I wasn’t distracted by the color.

Now any photo can become black and white, but which ones are actually improved by removing the color? I’ve sifted through the archives a bit and chosen three that seem interesting. But I really want your opinion. Would these be better in the regular, real and colorful way, or does this create a mood that is worth doing?

Visit Thursday Challenge (“Black and White”) for more visions of that theme.

You can always click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to return to full blog with latest post on top.

I don’t want to overload this blog with too many photos, so here are just a couple of fave shots I took on Friday. I do love this new camera. Fun!

For more macros/close ups, please check out Macro Monday, and for more views of yellow, go to Mellow Yellow Monday. And visit Color Carnival for more brilliant color!

The other morning the rose bed in front of the house was all foggy looking, just for a few minutes. That’s my neighbor’s planting in the background. We are putting tulips around the edges of the rose bed for the springtime, before the roses get going, and planted them just in time for the recent rain to bless the bulbs.

For more views of all kinds of wetness, visit Watery Wednesday.

On a walk with a friend, I visited the Highline Seatac Botanical Garden this past week. So beautiful. If you are in the area, it’s a must. Not too huge, a perfect strolling size, flat, and wonderful. I really like it, can you tell? I’ve got to go back and really take some photos before the fall weather gets serious here.

Since I planted my rose garden only this summer, I am reluctant to cut too much off the new plants, as it can weaken them. So I take a few short stems and put them in a bowl instead of a vase. This photo is one of my top faves.

For more flowers, a regular flower shop of photos from around the world, visit Today’s Flowers.

And for more close ups, visit Macro Monday.

This is another bouquet creation that I photographed at the recent flower show put on by the local garden clubs. The lighting wasn’t as good for the “designs” (arrangements) as it was for the horticulture. And I detest flash on most things and especially flowers. But even so, the warmth and cheeriness of this one seems to shine through. I hope so, anyway. It’s for you, dear reader!

For more close ups, visit Macro Monday. And for more splashes of yellow, visit Mellow Yellow Monday. And for extremely colorific photos, visit Color Carnival.

So now I have this new rose garden, with 18 new rose bushes. It was so much work to create it, but the rewards are immense. I love to go out and clip the fading flowers so the petals don’t strew around in the wind. Sometimes I get a little over-enthusiastic in my deadheading and then I have fullblown roses looking at me soulfully in the clippings bucket. I rescued five of these and put them in a bowl of water.

For more ruby redness in photos, visit Ruby Tuesday.