Photographing Flowers

I've heard that photographers prefer overcast days when taking pictures - because there are no shadows.

But when it comes to photographing flowers, I prefer sunny days.  

Sunlight brightens the colours, so that the flowers seem to glow.

Wild Flowers of the Season

Driving along country roads or along the highway, I'm often struck by the beauty of wild flowers growing in nature.

Month by month the flowers change - just like my carefully planned perennials do. 

Planted by nature - wind, birds and squirrels -  they're always beautiful!

I should post regular photos of roadside (or wayside) flowers... just as I do photos of my own flowers - and the sky.

Beginning to Bloom!

One of my favourite perennials in our front garden bed is beginning to bloom...

Japanese anemones! I just love them.

I see a lot of buds, so hopefully we'll enjoy a long blooming season.

New Blooms

Phlox are the brightest flowers blooming in our yard these days.

I originally bought four potted plants in four colours - and eventually divided them.

Now they add a dash of colour here and there in the yard.

My first yellow bearded lily is beginning to bloom, too. It was a gift from one of Terry's co-workers when we drove out into the country to buy plants at her husband's plant nursery.

In the early years, there was only one flower - but I see lots of buds this year. Glad it's doing well in our crowded garden!

My Favorite Blooming Seaso

Flowers in our front garden bed reach their peak in early July.

There's a mix of orange lilies...

 

... white daisies...

... yellow coreopsis...

... and mauve-blue flowers that seem to grow wild - making the front flower garden look like a giant "bouquet."

I wish this mix of flowers would last longer.

But like most perennials, they move on - replaced by a new wave of blooms. 

The coreopsis do continue to bloom a bit longer...

... together with the blue geraniums that grow near the overhanging pine tree. They lie closer to the ground, so they are not as noticeable as the taller flowers.

End of June Flowers

July is prime blooming season in our yard.

I'm waiting in anticipation for the next wave of flowers - like the white daisies...

The orange lilies... and more... 

In the meantime, the peonies are fading...

The Persian cornflowers are diminishing...

Here and there solitary flowers are showing up - almost hidden by the invasive gout weed.

I've planted - and transplanted - so many perennials over the years.

Some have disappeared. A few return...

It's definitely a game of "survival" in my flowerbeds... Not all survive!

Now I'm looking forward to what July will bring!

Purple Flower Season

Shades of purple dominate our yard right now -  as irises of different sizes are in bloom.

Some tall...

Others medium sized. 

I think they all came from my friend Janet's yard... and before that, from her parents' home in southern Ontario.

In the back yard, the purple cornflowers are in bloom. They came from my neighbour, PJ. 

When she gave me the first bunches, she warned me that they would take over. They have a tendency to spread - so I pull them out ruthlessly once they stop blooming - to make way for the peonies that are currently budding - and the phlox that will bloom in August. My pruning doesn't kill them. It just holds them back a bit!

Overflowing Euphorbia

Our neighbours, Mary and Earl, have an overflowing bed of euphorbia in their back yard.

One year, the flowers apparently just started to spread - and I imagine that they're still spreading!

They have some others at the front of their house as well. 

Such beautiful flowers - blooming for several weeks in spring.

I have two small bunches in our front yard. I would dearly love for them to overtake the gout weed - which is the main super spreader in our yard.

Flowers in Bloom

Yellow flowers predominate in our yard at this time in spring...

I wish the tidy bunches of euphorbia flowers (like those above) were most prominent...

But (alas!) dandelions fill lawns and college fields in our community - in spite of our best efforts to control them.

One bright spot in our front yard is this patch of white anemones.They are among my favourite summer flowers. 

I also noticed a little red iris - near where I planted a lilac bush a few weeks ago.

Some lilacs are in bloom - on the old bush we've had for years.

Lily of the valley are beginning to bloom.

Also these pink and blue flowers...  (Sweet Williams?). I remember planting them years ago from seeds.

I also noticed a few fancy tulips in the back yard - almost hidden by the gout weed, which has been growing tall with all our rain.

Like the dandelions, the gout weed is almost impossible to get rid of!

Ottawa's Tulip Festival

Ottawa's Tulip Festival has begun!

The gardens are always so lovely.

I often wander around near Dow's Lake, where there are numerous beds.

These were taken downtown - at Major's Hill Park, near the National Gallery - by my son who works nearby. It's another lovely place to view them.

Early Spring Flowers

We don't have a lot of early spring flowers in our yard - and they don't bloom for long...

But they give me so much pleasure... 

Probably because they are suddenly there...

... right after the snow disappears!

A miracle!

I'm particularly pleased to see that this bunch of red tulips is still perfect. Every time I pass by, I count them. Six blooms.

The flowers are often snapped off by a squirrel as soon as they bloom. But it's now day 2 and they are still intact - so I'm hopeful they may be left alone.

Terry and I admired these flowers when we were walking in a neighbourhood called "Old Ottawa South." 

Terry noticed a bee buzzing around even though the weather wasn't warm..

I haven't noticed bees in our neighbourhood yet. Hopefully we'll see some too!

Finally, Spring!

For the past few months, our weather has been cool - hardly spring-like.

First, we had lots of snow.

Then, as temperatures slowly climbed, lots of rain - so much, that there has been flooding.

Some farmers are pumping lots of water out of their fields.

Then - yay! The past few days have been warm and sunny!

And... I noticed flowers in several parts of our yard.

 

Just like that - a day or two of sun and warmth! And there they are! A welcome surprise!