Sunday, June 01, 2008

June's First Magical Night


So it was Sunday Night, a busy end to a busy weekend.

It was certainly a beautiful weekend, weather-wise, with only an abbreviated version of the rain we'd expected for Saturday. Sunday was our warmest day yet, in the low seventies. Mmmm. It also brought that first visible dusting of pollen, the yellowy-green film that settles over everything and reminds you of just how many plants are out there, gettin' jiggy with it.

I had a free couple of moments, a lull in the action you could say, when I might formerly have been smoking a cigarette. But the light was just great and I really wanted to get a better photo of the white siberian iris, as Jeremy from Pittsgrove Farms had been wondering if it was the Snow Queen.

All these pictures should get bigger if you click. There's a bit of the blue siberian iris showing to the left in this shot, but just barely, as it fades into the shadows pretty readily. That low green mound behind the white irises is a PG hydrangea, which usually starts really blooming as the summer winds down--great for fall bouquets and displays. The red tree is a cherry of some variety.

I was excited to get home and look closer at this picture and see that two of those three yuccas amidst the irises are sending their epic flower stalks up toward the sky. I transplanted the trio in there a few years back, so it's nice to see them doing what I'd imagined at the time. Someday those white bell flowers will be blooming in time for someone's wedding photos and it'll be just perfect.

Of course, I didn't imagine they might look so suggestive in progress toward that goal. Heh...that's spring for you.

Anyway, here's the quarry, just glowing in the evening's fading sun, the sky going to fire to the west, and cooly blue overhead.

I love the way the shadows fall across this flower, changing it's all white (excepting the yellow bits)appearance on the fall. I think it's a good illustration of why sometimes we are so bamboozled to explain why our cameras seem to capture colors other than the ones we think more honestly represent the colors as we see them.

Happy June, everyone! Begin the merriment, commence with the frolicking, already!!

4 comments:

Butch said...

70s? That's great, we haven't reached that but only once and it was a fluke. The nights here are still cool and in the 40s mostly. We barely touched 60 degrees today and it remained cloudy the whole day threatening to rain. If finally, quit fooling around and started raining about 6:00p in the evening.

It won't be very long now for the Iris plants to start blooming. the shoots are up and the flowers are about ready to start opening. I think they are ( are you ready? )
purple. ;-) This seems to be the year for purple in our yard. Do Columbine plants bloom in purple as well? I have some of those blooming. Nice pics.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic picture of the iris! I am pretty sure it is Snow Queen. The pure white and touch of yellow in the falls, seems to point all signs to "yes." Thanks for sharing. I will try to post some from my garden soon. I must say I am jealous though because you definitely have mine beat. :)

Greg said...

Looking forward to seeing which kind of purple irises you have--there are so many wonderful choices! That dark one is getting ready at work and I'm standing by with my camera.

And yes, of course, the columbines bloom in purple...and LOTS of other colors, too. Mine finally got serious today and I think I see a little lavendar purple in a new flower there!

Jeremy, it's good to meet the Snow Queen. She certainly is prolific at the work garden and that site's on the hot and dry side.

Looking forward to seeing your home garden photos! It's all good!!

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful and calming ambience that the evening sun has in the first two photos as it beams through the trees while surrounded by all the colors. And kudos to you guys to go smoke-free. Here's to deeper breaths and more acute smell! ;-)