I finally got to see a Corpse Flower in bloom! It was kind of under the radar at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory. They hadn’t publicized it for fear of crowds in this covid era. They bloom very rarely. This plant is twenty years old and this is its first bloom, so it is kind of a baby, which is why the whole thing is only about three feet tall. Mature flowers can be eight feet! The bloom was at its maximum this morning, and I saw it at around 2pm. I was surprised that the odor was completely done! So it was not stinky at all, a bit of a disappointment, but it was more beautiful than I expected. The outer part was an incredible swirl of loveliness. Here is a little documentary about them with David Attenborough.

Amorphophallus titanum, the titan arum

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I hate cutting my roses since I can see the rose bed from the house and they look so lovely out there, blooming for me and any passers-by. But I had to pick them ahead of the big rain.

Garden roses in bouquets, with late lavender and smoke bush leaves

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Yesterday I picked all the open roses ahead of the big rain expected tonight. When I cut roses I always bring a clean bucket with a couple of inches of water into the rosebed. As soon as I cut a stem I put it in the water so it doesn’t dry and seal up. Then right before arranging I cut the stems again while each stem is in a bowl of water in the sink, at a deep slant. It really helps them last longer in the bouquet. I love my roses.

Full blown garden roses, ready for a bouquet

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We got maybe a tenth of an inch of rain, more than the entire summer here in Seattle! But a big rain is coming in a couple of days, thank goodness, maybe two inches over a few days. The garden is so thirsty. If you grow roses, pick them and enjoy a bouquet if a big rain is coming. No sense in letting them get ruined and go to waste.

Water droplets on the petals of a half-open Peace rose in my garden

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Rose gardeners PSA: If it’s going to rain big, go out there and cut your opened roses for bouquets. They’ll just get ruined if you leave them out there.

Rain is coming. Might as well cut roses and bring inside.

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What a backyard sky!

Swirly pink clouds lit up the sky at sunset last night

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The other evening the sky was spectacular in our Seattle backyard.

Cirrus clouds usually mean rain in a few days, but not this time

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I did a good job planting my Early Girls (and Sungolds) and they were watered well. So sweet!

Red, ripe, shiny tomatoes and stringbeans harvest

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Pink ladies are a kind of amaryllis (amaryllis Belladona) hardy in my zone 8b. I recently removed a tree that was shading these pink ladies and they finally feel like blooming. They are very fragrant. Their foliage comes up in the winter and dies back, but the flower stalks emerge with no leaves in August, which is why they are sometimes called naked ladies. In parts of Northern California you can see fabulous, huge banks of them naturalized along roadsides.

Pink ladies thrive in full sun with sharp drainage, shown in front of iris foliage

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I have a south window and this time of year in Seattle I start to get direct sun. Two small baby cactus plants went and had babies of their own!

Tiny baby sprouts of cactus around mama cactuses. Their little spines!

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The days are getting shorter. A view of my backyard in the late afternoon light. Love those leek flower balls!

The golden hour, with leek flowers

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I never tire of close ups of beautiful flowers and hope you enjoy them as well.

Lavender Japanese anemone flowers in my garden

Appearing as well on Through My Lens Monday, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Tuesday Treasures, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Thankful Thursday, Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Pink Saturday, Garden Affair Saturday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Please sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.