My friend with the pretty hostas can do flowers so well. Here’s a sunshiny shot of the flowers on her shaded deck. Yes, there were cookies and iced tea, too!

Interesting sites for you: Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera).

There were some really beautiful moments last week on the Fourth with the clear skies we had. Here’s a peek at how lovely the fireworks looked on a sky not fully dark. All around little Lake Burien (near Seattle) people lit red lights on the shore, and the one near us gave this tree an eerie light.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival, Ruby Tuesday 2, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) for other interesting images. Thanks for visiting here!

Isn’t this an exquisite planting? Those new, dark petunias, some kind of yellow striped grass, a dark heuchera (pronounced HOOK-er-a) and the sedum with pink edges look so great together. It’s in front of the door at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory. Go see it.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, and Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) for more neat photos. Also, the dappled sunlight and subtle colors make me happy, so I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week.

The gods smiled upon us and the Fourth was sunny. Usually in Seattle we figure summer starts July 5th and ends before Labor Day, but this year life was good. Our friends with a home on little Lake Burien had their yearly fireworks party, and of course I needed to take photos, but not bother with anything like a tripod or special “scene” settings. Thinking first does help, as does bracing my arm on a chair back if possible, but besides that, I am happy just to aim at the loveliness and capture a bit of it with what I have with me.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, and Weekend Reflections, just for fun. Thanks for visiting here!

That Trader Joe’s parking lot in Burien WA has been the scene of some good sunsets. A big open expanse looking west is sometimes very hard to find. Yay, parking lots! And yay, Trader Joe, too! I love that place.

This sky is kind of pink, kind of yellow, and just peachy to me. Hope you agree.

Check out Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday,  Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Mellow Yellow Monday and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), why don’t you?

I just love that late-afternoon light. After MUCH rain and clouds, the sun peeked out the other evening and of course I was out there with my camera. These are mostly ‘Double Delight’ roses, my long-time favorite rose. Very available in nurseries, fabulous fragrance, strong grower. And this image is purely SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera).

This year I am attempting to grow roses without the usual systemic plant food laced with pesticides, hoping that this year I won’t feel the guilt of watching a robin poking for bugs in the soil and hoping the robin is OK. I am using alfalfa meal as a fertilizer this year and so far am very happy with the results.

Other interesting photo sites: Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Color Carnival, Ruby Tuesday 2, Pink Saturday,  Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Mellow Yellow Monday and Macro Monday. And do browse around here first. Maybe click a category on the right like “My Garden”? Thanks for visiting!

This may be my new favorite rosebush in the garden. Growing roses in the Pacific Northwest is tough with our damp climate. I have 18 different rosebushes in front of my house and after three years, ‘Proud Land’ seems to be the star. It’s huge, disease resistant, and just covered with dark red, fragrant flowers. Very satisfying. I’m calling this my Best Post of the Week.

For more cool photos, you might pay a visit to Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Outdoor Wednesday, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Color Carnival, and Ruby Tuesday 2. If you’ve arrived via a link and there is only one photo  below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the complete collection here. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Finally, a scenic post! Even I get tired of flower photos sometimes. But not for long, as you will see. This sunset overlooking Puget Sound was taken at a different spot than my usual overlook which sadly doesn’t get a good view west. This is from a beach in Three Tree Point, WA, quite close to my home. You can bet I’ll be back.

If you have a minute or two, visit Scenic Sunday, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Skywatch Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, A Piece of Heaven, and Weekend Reflections, why don’t you? Thanks for visiting here, always.

A happy garden perennial that blooms so brightly, geum (GEE-um) is a nice tall flower (2-3 feet, or a meter) with sprays of brilliant red that dance above a rosette of very toothed leaves. No fragrance, but very long blooming, especially when deadheaded. Hope you have this crowd-pleaser in your garden. An easy one to grow!

Check out Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Macro Monday, and Color Carnival and don’t forget to click on the Sara’s Fave Photos Blog banner above to see the whole blog here.

The rhododendrons are really gorgeous this year. The winter has been pretty mild, with plenty of water, and with the brutally cold winter the previous year, I guess the plants are breathing a sigh of relief and blooming their hearts out in gratitude. This scene in Seattle’s Volunteer Park is just one tiny slice of the magnificent display that rhodies put on for us in the Pacific Northwest.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Pink Saturday to see lots of great photos from around the planet. And if you’ve arrived via a link, be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the complete blog here. Have fun!