Friends in the Garden

I never know who I'll see in my garden.

As I watered my flowers and poked around, 

I almost missed a brown mantis as it climbed the zinnia leaves. 

Tiny foot by tiny foot.

A bee buzzed the virginiana Bouquet Rose and searched for sweet pollen.

Wing beat by wing beat.

I love meeting creatures who enjoy my flowers as much as I do.

Flower Friday: Mandevilla Sanderi

The Mandevilla Sanderi, new to me this summer, grows in a variety of colors. My step-daughter has a lovely white one on her front steps. I discovered the pink ones at the Book Loft in Columbus. Also called Brazilian jasmine, this vining plant adds a fun flair to summer flowers. 

Flower Friday: Love-in-a-mist

I was introduced to Love-in-a-mist by a dear friend. This gorgeous flower belongs to the buttercup family. Once you sow the seed in spring, expect these beauties to bloom and produce seed pods for the next year. They'd be a lovely addition to a cottage garden.

Flower Friday: Impatiens

I snapped a photo of this gorgeous impatiens bloom in my neighbor's garden. Drawn to the gorgeous shade of pink, I admired the simple flower's beauty. Impatiens come in a rainbow of colors: pink, red, white, violet, coral and purple. Even though the plants do reseed, most folks plant them annually from nursery grown plants.  

Flower Friday: Coneflower

The purple coneflower stands guard over the garden. A member of the echinacea family, "The genus name, Echinacea, comes from the Greek word ‘chinos,’ meaning hedgehog." The center of the flower stands out like a prickly little hedgehog.
Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds love the coneflower.
They're easy to grow and add lovely color to the garden.

Grant, Bonnie. “History Of Purple Coneflowers.” Gardening Know How, 5 May 2018, blog.gardeningknowhow.com/tbt/history-of-purple-coneflowers/.

Flower Friday: Queen Anne's Lace

When I was child, the ditches along my parent's home were filled with Queen Anne's Lace. I was sure these were the flowers the fairies grew. 

Their lacy, delicate heads swayed in the hot summer breeze. 

According to legend these beauties are named after Queen Anne, who sewed her own lace. The tiny purple-red dot in the center is said to represent a drop of her blood when she pricked her finger.

Queen Anne's Lace

“Queen Anne's LaceDaucus Carota.” EdibleWildFood, www.ediblewildfood.com/queen-annes-lace.aspx.

Flower Friday: Iris

A row of irises grew along the fence row in the front yard. Dad planted and tended them. He loved his "flags", the southern Ohio name for irises. 

They bloomed in a rainbow of colors. 

Flower Friday: Peony

I have a fond memory of peonies. On Memorial Day weekend, my Grammy and I would snip the stems of the peonies growing in Mom's garden. We'd cover glass jars with foil, add water and place the fragrant flowers in the jars. Then we'd visit Grandpa, Great-grandma, and my great-uncle's graves. Gram would have me dig a small divot, to tuck the bottom of the jar into. My brother carries on this tradition that shows honor and respect.