These peach daylilies with faintly striped petals are the very first to bloom in my garden.

Peach daylily with yellow throat after a gentle rain

Participating in Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Our World Tuesday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Water World Wednesday, Garden Party Thursday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you so much for visiting here and please come back soon.

I have been posting quite a few flower macros lately, but feel compelled to show you this one, taken just a couple of hours ago, showing my Double Delight rose incandescently reaching to the sun on the longest day of the year. Here in cloudy Seattle we appreciate the sun, perhaps more than other places. Happy Solstice and Happy Summer! I really love this image and I am calling it my weekly Top Shot.

Macro of Double Delight rose in the garden

Participating in Pink Saturday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Ruby Tuesday 2, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Our World Tuesday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Garden Party Thursday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for visiting here and please return soon.

Found a picture that my brother took last year at this time of me in my garden.

Photoblogger Sara at her patio garden, June 2013

Visit Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Garden Party Thursday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Skywatch Friday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for visiting here and please come back soon.

Today is my hubby’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Rick!

Multi-colored roses and a peony from our garden in a birthday bouquet

Participating in Thursday Challenge (Bright Colors), Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Our World Tuesday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Garden Party Thursday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Click on curly letters above to see latest pretty pictures here. Thank you for your visit here, very, very much. See you back soon!

Another image from my recent visit to the South Seattle College Arboretum (see the posts below), taken near the Alki Cafe (surprisingly delicious food). Mountain laurel certainly seems related to rhododendron, no?

Red and pink mountain laurel

Linking to Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Reconnect With Nature Wednesday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Garden Party Thursday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for your visit here, very, very much.

These bell-shaped campanula flowers have come back strongly this year. They are a bit over knee height, so they really make a nice show in the garden.

Bluish purple campanula flowers bloom in my Seattle garden in early June

Participating in I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Reconnect With Nature Wednesday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Skywatch Friday, Scenic Weekends, Garden Party Thursday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for visiting and browsing around here first!

Sorry for all the flower macros, but so much is blooming now! Here’s a flower I don’t recognize. It was 2 or so inches wide (4-7 cm.) blooming on a large hedge near Alki beach (near Seattle) in May, so it’s not Japanese anemone. Perhaps some kind of hibiscus? I love the delicacy of the folds in the petals. Update: It is a Rockrose (cistus laurifolius).

White single flower with orange and yellow center has creased petals

Joining to Reconnect With Nature Wednesday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Garden Party Thursday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you so much for your visit here first!

This pretty Oregon iris (iris tenax) was growing in front of a little museum near Alki beach, near Seattle. The flowers are about ankle height and the blooms are 3 or 4 inches across (10 cm. or so). It’s a new one to me.

Purple and white Oregon iris

Participating in a new photo meme, Reconnect With Nature Wednesday, plus Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Garden Party Thursday, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Monday Mellow Yellows, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for visiting here and be sure to click around and find something new.

Here’s another shot of my nextdoor neighbor’s playhouse, with the rhododendrons in bloom. The little girl who lives there is almost two, and is soon to have a baby brother. What a storybook come to life!

Backyard playhouse complete with kid-sized Adirondack chair and rhodies blooming

Joining Ruby Tuesday 2, Our World Tuesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Weekends, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Garden Party Thursday, Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for visiting and have a great day.

This pretty variegated weigela shrub is blooming now in my backyard.

Variegated weigela with pink flowers blooms in May in Seattle

Participating in Pink Saturday, Garden Party Thursday, Our World Tuesday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Monday Mellow Yellows, My Romantic Home, and Saturday Show Off. How about a new tag or category while you are here? Pink, perhaps?