Category Archives: Flowers

The summer of ’16 is shaping up to be a rather alarming one. This is a scary time for many of us (and not just because the official Republican Platform includes gay conversion therapy – WAKE UP, PEOPLE) but I’m not indulging in scare tactics here.

Here, life is beautiful.

The guys are beautiful.

Even the orchestra is beautiful.

In mid-July, the garden exhibits its first hints of losing steam. I managed to capture these wild sweet pea shots before they started their decline, so they appear fresh and new, in the hottest shade of hot pink that the garden can muster. I’ll cut them back almost to the ground, as they are already going to seed, and one of these invasive monsters is more than enough.

For now, enjoy their strong color – the perfect reflection of this hot mid-July moment, when the world around us seems to be going up in flames, and the only thing we can do is recoil at the monstrosity and sad beauty of it all.

Though June is really the main month for roses, some spill over into July, especially as we had such a late start of spring. These pink beauties were peering over the wrought-iron fence of a typical Boston brownstone, nodding to themselves and to all passers-by in fine and fair fashion.

I was very happy to see them.

On a recent weekend in Boston, I got up-close and personal with a few showy blossoms. Like Ms. Desmond herself, they all but shouted to be noticed, so beautifully were they blooming. It was as if we never said good-bye last fall, as if there had been no winter ~ mild or otherwise. Plants can be like certain friends that way ~ you pick up right where you left off, without awkwardness or pause. These pretty things have caught my notice before ~ the rustic elegance of the Rosa rugosa, the frilly painted petals of a few rhodies, and the intricate architecture of a way-more-than-double clematis.

Caught in a focus much tighter than usual, these photos reveal even greater beauty at work than I usually notice. The markings on a white rhododendron, for example, show themselves to be a painting of stunning detail and nuance ~ a place where artistic masters may have learned their abstract craft.

These marvelously-shaded throats aren’t always immediately evident on examination from afar ~ only when you move in can you get a sense of how subtle and gorgeously-rendered nature crafts her florals.

As for that clematis, it may not be solely the work of nature. Humans can’t help but mess with things, and sometimes our efforts turn out something amazing, such as the spectacular thing you see below. Whether or not you enjoy such hybridized monsters, there is beauty in everything ~ even the garish and extreme. Thank goodness that it is so.

Here is an example of a flower I love but would never grow. One of the most beautiful perennials out there – in a rare shade of blue – this is the delphinium. The main reason I haven’t grown them is that they are reportedly rather finicky and difficult to grow well. Most require staking at some point (the bane of my gardening existence) and the soil and conditions that they like are not those typically found in the wild and unpredictable Northeast.

However, I do love them in other gardens, where I can appreciate their floral form and color without the trouble of devoting hours of time and yards of space to their cultivation. One of the more difficult lessons of gardening is learning what you can and cannot handle. Aim high, but aim realistically.

White balls of summer blossoms.

Purity.

Virginity.

Impossibility.

Give me the blasphemous black-eye of the Queen Ann’s lace over this insouciant innocence.

The celadon poppy frequents woodland areas in early spring to mid-summer, so its reign is about to come to a close. Like some humans, they wilt in the heat of high summer. Until then, however, they will throw out these happy yellow blossoms. The sap of this plant matches its flower color in vibrancy and potency, and these will stain your hands and clothing if given half the chance, so do be careful.

It’s still a small price to pay for such exquisitely delicate blooms and foliage.

Vinca and Narcissus.

They make a beautiful pair, even when apart.

The purple pulchritude presses forward with this second part of Purple Panache. I’m running out of pretty ‘P’ words, so before things turn nasty let’s quickly proceed to the images. (But just out of curiosity, what were you thinking: penis or pussy? My mind went to piss.)

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Maybe this is a tribute to the Purple One whose reign recently came to a sad close, or maybe it’s just a collection of pretty purple things because I love the color purple. It matters not.

Most are flowers, but there are a couple of surprises thrown in because purple doesn’t limit itself to one form.

Certain blog posts are titularly self-explanatory.