Tag: flowers

Project – Weekend Project/Flower Pounding

On By TimelessladyIn Projects20 Comments

A way to preserve flowers is to pound their essence and color into a sheet of paper. I had some handmade paper, measuring 6×4, with deckled edges. I found it the perfect background for pounding some of my garden flowers.

I started my flower pounding with violets. Years ago, I transferred some from the woods into my garden beds. I have hundreds of violets in my grass and flower beds in early spring. I don’t mind them at all. I pull them out if they overwhelm my perennials or annuals. Because they sow seed, there will be many more to take their place next year. They are also a great ground cover for areas I don’t want to weed weekly. The leaves are a host for the fritillary butterfly. 

The beautiful violet color is easy to transfer. I place the flowers and leaves on the handmade paper, then, using a piece of tracing paper to see what I’m doing, I place this over the flowers and pound them flat with a small hammer. It is easy to work in a corrugated box based on the floor rather than on the floor itself. Some flowers stick to the handmade paper. I let these sit for a few minutes, and then gently remove them. Voilà, there is an impressionistic-type print of the flowers.

After drying the paper out for about two weeks, I used a 005 permanent marker to create a few lines, using the photos I took before I pounded the flowers as a reference.

I love the way the finished product turned out. I will continue pounding flowers all summer, labeling each pounded flower print with where it was taken from in my garden or other places. At the end of the summer, I intend to make a handmade book containing all the prints.

Phlowers – Cardinal Climber Vine/FOTD

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers8 Comments

Cardinal Climber Vine ((Ipomoea × multifida) is my post for Cee’s Flower of the Day. These vines and the beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers blooming on them are some of the best flowers for a hummingbird garden.

Most of my garden plants have blooms that are waning. I don’t obsess over the lack of bloom because I see few bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds in October. The Cardinal Climber Vines bloomed late for me this year. I thought they were in a slump until a few weeks ago when they burst into dozens of blossoms. There is nothing timid about these flowers when they bloom; they are brilliant in color, and the stamen almost seems to glow like a spotlight beckoning hummingbirds to dive in for the nectar they contain.

Yesterday, I had an experience that I hope will stay a treasure in my spirit forever. I was bent down, turning off the hose nozzle, and when I stood, inches from me, a hummingbird was sipping nectar from the Cardinal Climber blooms. It seemed unaware of me, or perhaps in fueling up to return to warmer climates, was willing to risk my presence. I stood for several minutes, holding my breath, wanting to jump for joy as I listened to the buzz of the small bird’s wings and had the closest view ever of a hummingbird sipping nectar. I will never forget that magical moment in the garden.

The Spruce has information on how to grow Cardinal Climber Vines.

Phloral Arrangement – IAVOM/Dried Hydrangeas

On By TimelessladyIn Phloral Arrangements24 Comments

The hydrangeas I displayed as my IAVOM two weeks ago, have dried beautifully. The colors have deepened into a beautiful purple and sage green. They rustle when I lightly brush them, and the sound reminds me of old book pages. I was so happy with the shade of their flowers that I used them as the inspiration for the Autumn mantel and strayed away from my usual golds, burgundy, and rust.

The hydrangeas are in a vase that, while a bit minty, can almost pass for sage green. I frequently use this McCoy Swan vase for arrangements. Surrounding the vase are gourds we bought in farm markets and garden centers this past weekend. A wise owl looks on the display; his heart-shaped face expresses fond approval of my choices. A wooden mushroom, last year’s birthday present from a sister, seems to fit in with the theme. I love to strew beads and garlands of bells over the mantel in a haphazard way. It adds a bit of interest.

What you can’t see are the old books and other Autumn decorations to the left, all in the same shades. Thanks for visiting and thank you to Rambling in the Garden, the host of IAVOM.

Phlowers – Echinacea

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers4 Comments

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge for this week is a Single Flower. I chose this beautiful white Echinacea that grows in full sun near my patio. The identity of the seed source is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Since I planted the seeds indoors sometime in Spring of 2022, it took two years for the plant to flower outside. As soon as I finish writing this post, I will follow the link to Baker Creek and purchase another packet. I plan to start the echinacea seeds now, in late summer, and grow them to blooming size by Spring.

I had many unusual colors grow from this variety: peach, deep coral, the typical pink, and this white flower. If you love the sturdy stems and reliable bloom of Echinacea plants, try growing this unique mixture.

Echinacea Paradiso Mix

Paradiso Echinacea loaded down with blooms in late July.

(Later) I did purchase the seeds and they are already shipped. At this slower time of the growing season Baker Creek Seed company is very fast with order fulfillment. Baker Creek is definitely in the upper echelon of best heirloom seed companies.

The Farmer’s Almanac has an excellent article on how to grow echinacea.

Phlowers – Profusion Double Deep Salmon Zinnia

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers6 Comments

We grew this lively mix in the front beds of our old farmhouse porch and discovered it is one impressive zinnia, forming mounds of continuous color that were adored by the butterflies. ~Pinetree Garden Seeds

I am in love with this low-growing zinnia. Perfect for the front of my backyard patio border, the color is luscious, a brilliant coral pink.

The plants have been blooming for several weeks. They were available through Pinetree Garden Seeds, a reliable seed company. Next year, I will do the same and plant two side by side. This creates a mesmerizing display of color.

There is a plethora of flowers, and they last quite a long time. The color is beautiful even as they near the end of their bloom time. These zinnias fade to a lovely creamy yellow before they need to be cut away.

My one complaint is the small number of seeds in the packet. Although, the description does include the seed count so there was ample warning.

The zinnias are part of Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Passages & Pathways Part 2- A Week of Paths/BI and Longwood…Again

On By TimelessladyIn Passages, Paths6 Comments

It’s day two of the Pathways and Passages challenge, and I’m still walking the paths of Block Island and Longwood Gardens in my imagination. We often stayed in a Block Island Bed and Breakfast called the Sea Breeze Inn. It’s been well over a decade since we spent a week on the island, but we still remember one of the biggest draws of the place, its beautiful location, and the innkeeper, Gabby. 

In the photograph, Gabby is standing on the path that leads to the room we always booked for our week’s stay. I wish we had kept in touch and could still withdraw to the wondrous room with its high ceilings and comfortable furniture. Every morning, Gabby brought us a basket filled to the brim with a pot of coffee, muffins, Danish pastries, fruit, and many delicacies to start the day. I often wonder where life has taken her, if she still lives on the island, or if she has moved to the mainland. 

This well-dressed lady piqued my fancy one October day while visiting Longwood Gardens. I didn’t know her, and perhaps it is not polite to take a photo of someone just because you admire their outfit, but I loved her hat with its sassy bow, the red coat, and the posh bag she carried. Her long skirt was the perfect complement to the coat. So cute! In hindsight, I wish I had told her how beautiful her outfit appeared as she walked the pathways in the gardens. The photograph was taken in 2009. One of these days, I will attempt to create a watercolor of her. Fifteen years later, there is a lot of time between my first inspiration and getting around to it. 

Phlutters & Phloral – IAVOM/Queen Anne’s Lace

On By TimelessladyIn Phloral Arrangements, Phlutters10 Comments

In my part of Southern New Jersey, the temperature is in the 90s. AccuWeather says the real-feel temperature is around 104°. The hot weather is helping the caterpillars thrive. I have an abundance of them in the Butterfly House and each is born with a ravenous appetite.

Inside the houses, I have Rue, a host plant, and a few sprigs of parsley. The dill in the garden is still only in the small sprout stage since I planted it late. The fennel is suffering a bit in the heat, and since that is where most of the eggs for the Black Swallowtail Butterflies are laid, I don’t want to use it all. My goal is to concoct the perfect caterpillar feast for strong butterflies.

Queen Anne’s Lace, a host plant, is in bloom now, and the tall umbrella spires grow in hedgerows near my home. I took a walk with my cutting sheers in the hottest part of the day in hopes of collecting the wildflowers.

Unfortunately, the Queen Anne’s lace was not where I expected it to be. The sprigs I had seen a week or two earlier had bloomed and gone, and my walk became longer than I had planned. I did find more growing along the edge of the woods and cut several stems. By the time I got home, they were significantly wilted, and I wondered if I could use them as I had planned for the IAVOM challenge and afterward as food for the caterpillars. The Queen Anne’s Lace stems drew up water and eventually recovered. I used a Coca-Cola bottle as a vase.

Butterfly tip: The Queen Anne’s Lace, though the blossoms become frail, has stems that stay firm even after drying out. They are perfect for a caterpillar to use to form its chrysalis.

Phloral Arrangement – IAVOM – Hybrid

On By TimelessladyIn Phloral Arrangements21 Comments

Monday morning, I’m enjoying the brilliant sunshine after a rainy Mother’s Day. My family was so sweet and showered me with flowers. All the raindrops were forgotten amid such love. The vase I’ve created is a hybrid, filled with flowers blooming in the garden and also with the small broken stems of the larger bouquets I received.

For today’s IAVOM, I used as a focal point a beautiful Iris that blossomed for Mother’s Day. I also included False Indigo stems from my garden, an excellent perennial for flower arranging. Can you spy the puffy chive blossoms near the Iris? The kangaroo paws, mini-carnations, tulip, and lily were broken stems from the Mother’s Day bouquets. 

In memory of my mother, I placed a bunch of yellow tulips in the living room. In her last months on this earth, her house was filled with vases of silken yellow tulips. When I look at them, I remember her and the cheerfulness of the flowers she chose to place in her home. A Willow Tree figurine, titled Tenderly, seemed perfect to include.

Phlowers – Dancing with the Daffodils

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers11 Comments

The yard is dreary beneath rainy March skies, but the gardens are ablaze with the captured sunshine of daffodils.

I couldn’t leave so many of them to droop beneath the raindrops, so I cut them to create a bouquet to enjoy in the house. A break in the clouds enabled sunshine to pour through the window, backlighting the daffodils perfectly for their portrait.

“Daffodils with sunlit petals all ablaze,
Will ever create in me words of praise.”

Forgive me, my amateur poetical nod to William Wordsworth’s beautiful poem about daffodils. You can find his excellent poem below.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud 

By WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (1770 – 1850)

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

**************************************

Daffodils are a part of Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge.

Definitely the daffodils are my “Whatsoever is Lovely” moment for Xingfu Mama’s Challenge.

The daffodils are definitely the dancers of Springtime. They move to the rain, the wind, and face the sunshine, dwelling in the music of nature.

Phriday Phlowers – Tulip Time

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers3 Comments

Oh, Happy Day, even though the sky is grey and cloudy. This week, I found potted tulips for sale in my local supermarket. At the top of the spear of foliage, I could see that they would be the shade of yellow I love. Sure enough, they have blossomed into a gorgeous, pale yellow. I put them on my counter near the window during the day, so they won’t grow too leggy. I also put a bit of moss on top of the bare earth to give it a more natural appearance. These beautiful booms certainly brighten my day and mood.