Begonia

I received this pretty coral pink begonia a few years ago from my mother-in-law. It spends summers on our patio and in "over-winters" in our chilly dining room during the winter.  This year, it took almost all summer to finally re-bloom and now it is quite spectacular!   (Thanks, Dolly!)

Sphinx Moth

After talking to a few people, it's apparently been an especially prolific year for the Sphinx Moth. They're also known as the Hummingbird Moth because of their similar size and mannerisms, and usually come out at dusk and feed on the bright flowers around our patio. This one was flitting around the flowers beds at work right outside my window!

The Eensy-Weensy Spider

This image shows the underside of an Orb Weaver Spider (that happens to be missing a back leg) - and while not so eensy-weensy - it's actually considered a "good" spider as it traps and eats garden pests such as flies, beetles, and mosquitos. Found this one setting up shop on our honeysuckle vine.

Theme Day - Winter Crisp Apples

It has been a great season for our apple trees this year. We have two trees: a 'Golden Delicious' and a 'Honeycrisp' - a hybrid which yields these pretty, pink-blushed tart & juicy apples; great for eating and cooking.

I'm a day late with this entry, but you can see more "pink-themed" posts for September at City Daily Photo.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Happy 'sunnies' for a Sunday. Each year I grow a row of dwarf and hybrid sunflowers in the back of our veggie garden to use for bouquets throughout the summer.  Most of the plants reach anywhere from 4 to 6 feet tall.  However, this giant sunflower stalk was a "volunteer" in the middle of the garden this year and topped out at over 12 feet!  It looks somewhat shorter here because the multiple sunflower blooms were weighing it down a bit. The Goldfinches are in heaven!

Neon Sunflower

Autumn is closing in upon us and all the sunflowers in our garden are in bloom. This pretty one stood out especially because of the neon-green center.

Pucker Up!

Dill is in season and our garden is loaded with it.  We dry the wispy green fronds to use as an herb in cooking and salads all year long.  Chopped fresh dill is also amazing sprinkled on baked cod or sole. It adds a wonderful bright, tart flavor to the dish.

Fresh dill is also what we use when making anything pickled - especially "Wild Bill's Dilly Beans"! - which are a combination of tender green and yellow beans from our garden.  Great used on a relish tray or in a cocktail. The delicate blooms (shown above) remind me of little Sputnik satellites, and will also eventually yield dill seeds.

Secret Garden

During my morning walk in Sister Bay, I passed this old-fashioned patriotic garden with pretty flowers of all varieties and colors, along with a few pots of tomatoes, lettuce, and other veggies as well!

Faith

Last night some places in western Wisconsin got over a foot of snow! Earth to Mother Nature:  "Hello! It's May!"

Thankfully, the Milwaukee/Waukesha area was spared this indignity. We do have sunshine this morning, but it's only in the 30's, and most flowers and trees have still not budded out.  That's why I am posting this pretty image of my blooming clematis taken in May a few years ago - to remind us that spring will eventually be here - even if she is taking her sweet time!

Thatched Roof

An ornamental thatched roof gazebo with a goat weathervane at the International Gardens in La Crosse.  I'll have to come back in the summer to take another photo when the grass is green and the flowers are in bloom. You can see more of the real thing here.

Sunflowers

I added a few sunflowers from our garden to brighten up the small carnation bouquet from the grocery store. Happy September! :-)

Pink Lady

The "Pink Lady" lily's latin name is Amaryllis Belladonna. It's also called the"naked lady" lily because - as you can see in the photo - it has no leaves to cover its long, thin stem.  Technically, it does have leaves, but they show up in early spring like a clump of long blades of grass, and then die back after 4 to 6 weeks.  Then after another 4 to 6 weeks, the graceful lily stalk appears out of seemingly nowhere with this lovely topper of pale pink blooms.

Tomatoes!

There are quite a variety of tomatoes at the Madison farmer's market.  My favorite are the dark pink "Brandywine" heirlooms.  Great on a BLT!

Sunny Delight

We are growing a variety of sunflowers in our garden this year and they are in full bloom. I love this burgundy/peach version, and apparently, so do the bees! If you look closely at the photo below, you'll also see a shiny metallic Japanese Beetle in the center. They were especially pesky this year and invaded many of the trees and gardens in our neighborhood.

Bill and Coo

We have a pair of mourning doves frequenting our yard this year. They especially like Bill's garden now that he's tilled it because the worms and little bugs are easier to get at. They are so sweet and each morning we can hear the familiar 'hoo-hoo-hooooo' as they sit on the perimeter of the garden.

As the song goes: "Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me..."

Sunflowers!

A series of sunflowers from our garden. We usually grow a row of tall multi-color sunflowers as a back-drop to our vegetable garden. While this summer's torrential rains and hot, humid weather seemed to stifle most of our tomatoes and peppers, the sunflowers thrived. To all things there is a season...

Two-Tone Tulip

During my last visit to La Crosse over Mother's Day, I happened to spot this colorful tulip in Riverside Park. The unexpected splash of red in the yellow flower really stood out. I love it when Mother Nature plays with us!

Mad as March Hare

During my Saturday morning walk in La Crosse, I came across this rusty little rabbit watching over a mulched flower garden next to an old house. It seemed appropriate since Tim Burton's version of "Alice in Wonderland" is now playing in local theaters, and the Ides of March is coming up on the 15th.

Turns out that both hatters and hares can be mad.

International Friendship Gardens: Waterlily

I took quite a few pictures while we were in La Crosse last weekend and so will try to post some here and there during the coming week. There is an international friendship garden right next to Riverside Park which includes several paths that meander around a variety of plants and garden styles, along with a pretty gazebo. This small pond was host to some waterlilies, cattails, and some very large koi (goldfish).

Garden Sculpture

This monolithic sculpture graces a garden at a house that borders the downtown park on Pewaukee Lake. I showed another view of this place earlier this year.