A menagerie of useful plants and things handmade….
Favorite Garden Photos of 2013
A drop of water caught in the curl of a phacelia blossom. The bees love this plant!
Oxalis in the woodland garden.
Morels growing out of the mulch!
Lupine cone and leaf: such symmetry!
Such an INTENSE purple in the lupine buds, perfectly arranged!
The jaws open wide, beckoning pollinators.
Wherever we mulched, there they were: mushrooms!
Potentilla cinquefoil grows out by the beehives amongst the asters. It blooms long into the year.
Soft and delicate blue: the borage blossoms taste a bit like cucumbers.
Covered with downy hairs, can you think of anything more symmetrical than the borage bud?
I was so happy to see these bloom in the late fall! Mashua blossoms, somewhat like a nasturtium, but with edible roots (and leaves and flowers). Such a pretty light orange!
The Medlar is such a gorgeous autumn fruit! The leaves turn fall hues of yellow, gold, orange, and brown. A few days after this picture was taken, the wind blew all the leaves away, leaving only the fruit. It tastes a bit like baked apples!
We get such gorgeous sunsets over the Olympic Mountains!
The sunsets can change from sweet pastels to blazing oranges in a matter of moments! Such a fiery sky from our backdoor! Life is good!
In October, everything is suddenly covered with spiderwebs, highlighted by morning dew. The fennel plants are particularly beautiful!
On October mornings, the world literally sparkles with the dewdrops clinging to spiderwebs.
The ladder-like symmetry of spiderwebs is its strength!
I am attracted to the symmetry in nature - as in this echinacea bud. How does it do that?
Maximilian Sunflowers: tall, spindly, blooming long into fall - I love these delicate perennial cousins to the Mammoth varieties!
The codonopsis has a lot of outstanding medicinal qualities; however, the bell-shaped flower is muted in color and relatively obscur. I love the subtlety and the power of this herb.
The Maximilian Sunflower bud is a spiky contrast to the sunshine yellow flower it opens up to be.
Heavy under the weight of an early wet snow: cardoon
Sunchokes (or Jerusalem artichokes) stand tall against the sky. I have a fondness for these flowers in the Asteraceae family!
Ever wonder what the difference is between an artichoke and a cardoon flower? Well, this is an artichoke 🙂
Illuminated by a morning sun, this hollyhock blossom seems to glow!
I can't seem to get enough close-up pictures of honeybees! Such amazing creatures!
Why are bees so attracted to hollyhocks? This is one reason.
Who would guess that the rather plain-looking scorzonera plant would produce such beautiful blossoms and seed pods! Ah, but it's a member of the Asteraceae family, after all...
The Tulameen raspberries were particularly productive, thanks to the bees!
The blossoms of the Malabar Squash (or Figleaf Gourd) are large enough that 2 and even 3 bees can be in a bloom at a time!
I took this picture on the Solstice. The bee seems to be dancing on this poppy blossom!
2013 was the year of the Honeybee Swarm! We ended up with 6 hives, beginning with 2. It seemed like one swarm after another, and then finding them new homes. Hope they make it through the winter!
Once you get to know them, the honeybees are gentle, soft creatures with an amazing work ethic!
This toad decorates one of the spiral gardens. In early January, it appeared to have sprouted a frosty growth of hair!
January 2013 began with a gorgeous rose in full bloom! This is an old-fashioned climbing variety with a wonderful fragrance!
The dandelions are prolific in our back field. Aren't they gorgeous?! I love them!
The intense blue of a common Bachelor Button - is there a flower that can match it? and check out the intricate lace in the center - almost like a Celtic knot!
