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We have three clematis, one in the front yard and two in the back. The backyard versions grow the best and often produce a large number of purple or white flowers. I cut them back each year in the early spring and they soon renew their climb up the trellis. |
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Cone and Clover
One of my favorite flowers is the purple coneflower. Not only do I appreciate its beauty, but the bees collect nectar (and inadvertently pollen) all summer long, while the finches devour the seeds in the fall and winter. I photographed this flower against a backdrop of blooming clover.
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Isn't It Always The Way?
You're all set up to take the picture that you want and at the last second as you trip the shutter someone jumps in your way. These are two blossoms from our backyard, a shy and retiring younger blossom in the back and an older camera hog in the front.
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Papa Smurf
When we moved into our house, there was a forest of weeds growing under the grapes that lined the backyard. While clearing out the weeds, I found a few good plants as well, either remnants of an old garden or volunteers from some other place. I preserved as many of the good plants as I could, but some of those were later casualties when I decided to dig up the grapes.
One such casualty was a cluster of onions, the bulbs got broken up by the shovel while digging up the roots of the grape vines. One onion survived, though, as it grew on the other side of the little metal guard that separated the yard from the grapes. I need to move it so it doesn't get cut down by the mower, we don't use the onions but it makes a lovely flower when it blossoms. Here, the flower is just about to break out of the casing and fully bloom. |
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I'm terrible at identifying flowers, but I was struck by both the pink against the green and their lovely trumpet shapes. Taken at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. |