Pretty in Pink - Dianthus & Loropetulum

Earlier this week, I went out looking for new blooms as soon as I got home from work.
Here's what I found:

Dianthus 

These don't officially count because they were still in their pot from the garden center.  Just had to snap them anyway...



Loropetalum



This one is so pretty ... love its fringe y flowers.

Loropetulum

We had rain and thundershowers last night.  Today, everything in the garden looks at least an inch taller.  It is amazing!  Irises and daylilies are right around the corner.  :-)

O is for Orchid!

Well, well, well, I managed to make it to the Lowes Garden Center once again.  Yesterday, my husband was looking for paint, so that gave me plenty of time to browse in the world of plants ...

 

 I'm partial to white orchids.  Thought this one was a beauty ...

 and this one ...

Very exotic!  I had to take a close look to make sure it was a real flower.

Pretty in Pink

If a tropical drink were a flower, I think this one would be it. 

Symphony

My shopping cart ... notice I'm being strong.  There's not an orchid in it (this time ;-).  I did get an onion chive and a beautiful dianthus.  I have found that dianthus weathers our scorching summers quite well.  Our summers seem to be getting hotter with long periods of drought, so I've started appreciating drought tolerant plants over the last two or three years.  I baby the daylilies and the irises, but everything else has to be pretty tough.  It was 87 here today!

And a little something for the hummingbirds ...

Sentimental Zinnias ... Flower Power ...



Hot Pink Zinnia

 Yet another bloom from the past.  It won't be long now until I post current blooms. :-)  I took this while playing with the macro setting on my camera.  Zinnias are one of my sentimental flowers.  I have quite a few sentimental flowers that I'm sure will be blogged about as time goes by.  Zinnias remind me of my Grandma Helen.  She used to plant them in mixed colors every year along the walk way going down the hill from the front of she and my grandfather's house to the back.  It's funny how certain things are etched in one's memory.  These are a few things that also come to mind when I think of Grandma Helen:

• my dear grandfather
• fun times for my dear brother John and for me
• the state of Illinois
• a charming white gingerbread style house with a beautiful yard
• african violets (she had quite a collection)
• dear dachshunds (Beethoven who was black and Pinocchio who was tan) sled-riding dogs ... such good sports
• angel food cake (made especially for me)
• devil's food cake (made especially for John)
• Coke floats topped with whipped cream, nuts and cherries
• learning to bake
• hummingbirds
• a white, very loved and spoiled poodle (Bon Bon) - he unwrapped his own caramels
• a beautiful sycamore tree in the front yard (John and I loved to climb in it)
• snowflakes
• sledding
• hot cocoa
• candied popcorn (her special recipe)
• General Hospital (her favorite soap opera)
• petunias (there were two baskets hung on the porch each spring)
• makeup and nail polish
• shopping bags hidden in the basement to be smuggled upstairs later after her "bumming" trips on Thursdays ... these trips were downtown with her friend where they would spend their "mad" money (and then some :-)
• her danish wedding cookies
• her strawberry blonde hair
• cherished memories of two wonderful grandparents, and two very loved and spoiled grandchildren named John and Bethany

:-)

Gardening, Shopping & Sushi ... Lowes, Mikata & Baskin Robbins

Yesterday was a beautiful day ...

gorgeous weather,

gardening, shopping

and sushi!

What more could a gardener girl ask for?

Yippee!  The irises are making progress (looks like I have more weeding to do).  I guess standing over them, and wishing them along isn't hurting!  Other "mad gardeners" know the gardening insanity of which I speak ...

I love my garden cart! It took many moons for me to finally get my little Cadillac.

Sycamore

The sycamore is one of my favorite trees.  They seem like they are made of porcelain with their smooth, white texture.  



"Mad Gardener" early in the morning ... that's a symptom of Spring Fever!



I'm going to have a mixed perennial bed here again very soon. :-)

Now, for the shopping ... on the way.

along the way ...

Here we go ... the Garden Center at Lowes ... I feel like a "kid in a candy store" already!




Hot Pink Geraniums - I'll be back for these!

 

I had to keep chanting to myself (silently, of course, since people would stare otherwise :-) ... focus, focus, you came here for specific plants, focus, focus ...




Cosmos

 

The Herb Department



I spent a lot of "thyme" ... yes, I just had to say that ... (among other thing$) in the herb department where I got:

• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Cilantro
• Oregano
• Sweet Basil
• Parsley
•  Pineapple Sage

Special Pineapple Sage Note:  it smells like a pineapple upside down cake ... fabulous!  I always plant it near my path in and out, so I can stop and enjoy the lovely fragrance.  I've heard this is a delicious addition to iced teas (I'm sure it's good in hot tea too ... I'll let you know how that goes).

I still need marjoram, so I can make my spaghetti sauce with totally fresh herbs. 



Just caught my eye ...




Roses

 

O.K., aside from the herbs, I had two Double Knock Out red roses on my list.  I have spotted them down at the end of the table.  Focus, focus, focus ... lol

Ohhhh, the orchid section!!!  Focus ...





I really think orchids could be my next flower addiction ...  I quickly left the orchid section ... too tempting (plus my husband was watching me).  There would be no way to smuggle one to the Sequoia without him seeing me!  The daylily addiction is bad enough anyway!

Time for dinner at Mikata and here's a pic of our favorite, fabulous sushi chef.  Dinner here is always delicious.  :-)

I think this is just what my husband needed after his journey through the Garden Center ... :-).



Seaweed Salad



Rainbow Roll & Green River Roll



On to Baskin Robbins for a scoop of Three Point Chocolate for my husband, and a scoop of Daiquiri Ice for me!

Again, focus, focus, focus ... lol

:-)

Stargazer Lily

STARGAZER LILY

Another bloom from the past.  I'm still suffering through my "Spring Fever."  Although the Stargazers aren't daylilies, I still love them too.  They are very striking and do well in a vase.  It was 79 degrees here today, so hopefully the iris blooms are right around the corner.  Speaking of the weather, the heat and humidity today were the perfect mix for a "bad hair day" unless you're a lady wielding a flat/straightening iron ... one of the greatest beauty weapons ever! :-)

Daylily - Lola Branham



Daylily - Lola Branham

 This is one of my favorite daylilies from 2011.  I have a feeling it will be on my top ten list again this year.  I hope everyone enjoys the photo.  This is not an optical illusion.  The blooms on this daylily are gigantic!