There was another one of those garden club district meetings on Wednesday. About 70 people got together for some info, a nice lunch, and a flower show. And I sold books, which was the first time I’ve done that. They bought quite a few, and I was so happy that they liked the book so much. By the way, that special launch pricing on my new book ends pretty soon, so if you are thinking of getting one (or two or three), now’s a good time. It’s called Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory, and perhaps you might “like” the book’s page on facebook?

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Farmers markets are supposed to be all about fresh, healthy, local produce, but I mostly go for the flowers. Buckets of fresh flowers, there for me and my admiring camera. I usually ask if I may take photos, and they almost always say yes. The berries and cherries usually get my dollars, but those flowers fill my (mental and electronic) memory card.

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After a tough winter, most of the roses have come back well. Lots of compost, regular food and water, and frequent tidying up (so I can take photos! and also helps prevent blackspot) make a very satisfying rosebed in front of the house. The neighbors walking by sometimes admire it. It’s a pretty good walking neighborhood, for which I am very grateful. This ‘Oklahoma’ rose isn’t loaded with blooms, but the ones it has are big and fat. And that’s a lavender plant I grew from seed behind it!

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I believe that the name of this rose is Simplicity, but if anyone knows for sure, I would appreciate your letting me know. I saw it in a neighbor’s yard on a walk yesterday. I love this flower, and if that’s the name, it surely is perfect for it.

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Reminder about the free Open House Aug. 4 at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory where I’ll be signing my new book! Hope you can make it.

Last week it rained, before the beautiful weekend we enjoyed, so of course I had to head out to the garden when it stopped. I’m enjoying the daylilies this year in their varying shades of orange, burgundy and peach. I think I have a yellow one, but it hasn’t bloomed yet.

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At an after-hours meeting at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory about their campaign for needed restoration, of course I couldn’t help taking a few photos. Thank goodness that the last time I was there I snapped a photo of the cheat sheet they had posted, a key to the outdoor plantings, so I know that this amazing geranium is called ‘Mrs. Pollack. Even though it’s just coming into flower, that hardly matters with foliage like this.

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And if you are in Seattle on Thursday, August 4 at 6-8pm, please come to the Conservatory’s free Open House and book signing for my new book, Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory: Blooming Month By Month. Take a tour and meet the author!

Hope you are not getting tired of all these macro photos lately. This one is a leek plant in my garden. I love the way they look in the vegetable bed, very tall and sculptural with the big ball flowers—like the rest of the onion family. For eating, though, I think it’s best to remove the flower stems early and then harvest soon. Leeks sure are good in soups and such, I found out this spring. But do let at least a couple go to seed for future harvests.

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I am told that the coral poppy I showed a couple of posts below is an icelandic poppy. These are quite tall, and I didn’t know that icelandic poppies got so big, but I’m no poppy expert. Here’s another look, for your pleasure. This photo keeps fascinating me, so I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week. Hope you agree.

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This poppy is from some seedlings my friend gave me last year. I was surprised to see this kind of poppy. Are they Iceland poppies? There are some exquisite red ones as well as this amazing coral pink color. They are quite tall, about 3 feet or a meter. Anyone know what kind they are?

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This alstromeria or peruvian lily is one vigorous plant in my garden. It does give you pause when you planted a few rooted but shabby looking, scrawny plants last year and this year the clump is about 5 feet tall and almost as wide. They are beautiful but hid my peonies and so they will need to find a new spot. I read that any good garden spends about a third of its life in a wheelbarrow, and I must say that rearranging is what it’s all about. You can’t really know in advance how something will do, can you?

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This rose is called ‘Blue Girl’ and is sort of lavender but looks pinkish in this light, don’t you think? My roses are finally blooming, after such a long wait. I thought I lost several in the hard winter we had, but now it seems all but one survived, which out of 19 isn’t too bad. I added lots of compost in the fall and spring, and they LOVE it, with blooms much larger than last year.

I love the lighting on this shot and am calling it my Best Post of the Week.

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The huge poppies are blooming. These unusual ones, the size of my hand, were discovered in a neighbor’s garden on a recent walk. Aren’t they something? The photo doesn’t really do justice to the red color, either. That tomato red, and the dark, dark center just do it for me. Flower thrills.

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