Tag: Cee's FOTD Challenge

Val’s Garden

October 19, 2020

Val loves these really colorful Peruvian lilies, More correctly they are Alstroemeria, a genus of flowering plants in the family Alstroemeriaceae. They are also known as Lily of the Incas. These photos were taken just as the rain started.

For Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge

Visit to Val’s

October 17, 2020

Today I visited a lovely garden in Cohuna, a nearby town. In a corner I noticed a tiny flash of red. Val informed me I was looking at a Queensland firewheel tree, Stenocarpus Sinuatis. It was growing a very long way from Queensland, and certainly not anywhere near a rainforest. I was taken by what was remaining of the firewheel flower. The flower, as its name suggests is shaped like a wheel.

For some reason these pics remind me of a spider dangling on a web string. I feel a little uncomfortable. If you search up a pic of the tree actually flowering, (click here) it looks very different when there are lots more wheels,

I also thought the seeds were worthy of a photo. I was all for bringing a few back home and trying to raise them in my glasshouse until Val said it takes a very long time, at least 7 years, before a tree produces any flowers.

I will have to remember to go back and get a photo when the tree has more flowers next year.

Also for Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge

Blowing in a gentle breeze

October 9, 2020

I have a new zoom lens for my camera that I haven’t mastered yet. These were taken as I was wandering around my garden.

Just when I was learning to lower the f stop to blur the background, I was surprised that the first two photos were f/13. I like the softness of these two photos. The background blurs out.

The lens is so heavy. My arms ache. I’m starting to build up my muscle strength by carrying it around. There was a little camera shake, but I really tried to stay still. I’m also learning it pays to drag the tripod along with me too!

What makes an iris an iris?

October 8, 2020

Theses are bearded irises.

Do you know why these are called bearded irises? It’s because these plants have beards. The beards are the hairy bits on the falls. On the irises below they are yellow colored.

What are the falls? They falls are the three petals that fall downwards from the centre of the flower. The three petals standing up are called standards.

Only bearded iris have beards. There are other types of iris. Crested iris, for example, have crests. Not to be confused with beards, crests are hairless raised ridges. Irises without beards or crests are called beardless irises.

This one looks menacing!!!

For Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge.

Echiums in bloom

October 2, 2020

I love these strange blooms. This white one is lovely at the moment.

I’d love to grow a red one. Maybe next year.

These green blooms haven’t burst into color yet.

Sometimes they grow in some really weird shapes. It’s called fasciation. I had a very odd blue stem last year. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a good picture of it. It can produce some bizarre stems.

These blue flowers just have a bit of a bend in them.

Love the white ones!

Odd Coronas

October 1, 2020

Did you know the trumpet part of a daffodil is also known as the corona? These poor daffodils might have a corona problem!

I like these even though they haven’t got the traditional trumpet shape associated with daffodils. The yellow ‘bits’, the coronas, are very disheveled. For more of my daffodils, click here.

For Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD) challenge