Begonias

When I think of what to write for this blog,
it seems my thoughts are still turning to flowers.
I'm still very much in a flower mood.

Every day of summer brings 

another beautiful bloom to contemplate and enjoy.

Yesterday evening I was sitting on my deck after a summer rain--

a particularly heavy rain.

I was impressed with how the begonias held up to the onslaught.

They look delicate, but they are tough.

So I can't think of anything better to write about

than to celebrate the resilience and beauty of begonias.

All of my begonias are white, light pink, and dark pink.

That makes these orange-sherbet looking ones quite a treat:

morguefile.com

A lot of people grow the dark red-leafed begonia,

as seen interplanted with sweet alyssum and coleus in the photo below.

I'm not a huge fan of red leaves--

unless of course that red is a bright scarlet or vermilion--

so I never buy these:

morguefile.com

These red begonias are just amazing!

commons.wikimedia.org

Begonias in a pot or garden are attractive, but in the right hands,
begonias can take on a magnificence that inspires a sense of awe.
In fact, people will travel miles to see these flowers because they are so fabulous.
Tomorrow, a look at begonias in a grander environment.
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Gardenia

About six years ago, I planted 4 miniature gardenia shrubs

in a flower bed right next to the house.

The trees eventually grew up on that side 

and consequently, the shade deepened

and the gardenias became more spindly

with yellow leaves and only an occasional, heroic flower.

Here's one  of mine from last year:

And then late this spring, the trees were removed.

Over the last several days, 

the gardenias in the neighborhood have come to full flower

and my four have about a dozen pure white blossoms.
That's progress.

I am hopeful that they will grow lush and send out the gardenia's sweet perfume.

Following are some photos of beautiful gardenias.

It would be easy to get lost in the spiral of this blossom:

morguefile.com

Here's one from Southern Living Magazine online. 

My gardenias have a long way to go before they look like this:

www.southernliving.com

Here is one fashioned from silk with tiny jewels.

It's on ebay.com. Even though it's not a real gardenia,

it's so exquisite, I wanted to share it:

www.ebay.com

But let's finish with a real gardenia:

www.kartuz.com

Could anyone look at a gardenia blossom and not believe in angels?

I don't think so.

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Father's Day 2013

Feathered Fathers 

I returned home this week after almost a week out of town.

I love where I was visiting, but there's nothing quite like returning  home.

So the first morning back, I got up early and sat on my deck

and enjoyed the garden fountain, the flowers, and the birds.

morguefile.com

And while I sat there drinking my coffee, 

a bright red cardinal fed a squawking baby cardinal 

with bits and pieces from under the feeder.

It occurred to me then that it wasn't a mother feeding her newborn,

it was a father.

So in honor of Father's Day, 

here are some feathered fathers tending their young.

This first one is of a father cardinal feeding a fledgling,

from the blog www.movingtowisconsin.blogspot.com

written by Laura (no last name):

Photo Credit: Laura, www.movingtowisconsin.blogspot.com

Since the male and female blue jays are identical 

and both feed their young, I'm going to say for our purposes,

this may be a father blue jay.

This photo is by Alex Carrier:

Photo credit: Alex Carrier, 

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/nestinginfo/outreach/gallery/Jay%20Photos

Here is an expectant father robin feeding a female robin on the nest.

This photo is by Robin Arnold:

Photo Credit: Robin Arnold,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinarnold/5673203715/

Happy Father's Day!

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