Skipper Butterfly on Orange Zinnia

Skipper on orange zinnia: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016

Happy wild Wednesday! We must have more than 50 of these skipper butterflies in our garden. They seem to particularly enjoy the zinnias, marigolds, butterfly bushes and tithonia, although I see them on other flowers too. I hope my photo brightened your day! May God bless you!

Related posts:
Dahlia with skipper: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/09/dahlia-with-skipper-unusual-zinnias.html
Pretty insects on flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2016/03/pretty-insects-on-giant-red-zinnias-and.html
More insects on flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/08/dahlia-marigolds-zinnia-butterfly-bush.html

Chrysanthemum, Zinnia, Tiny Marigold, Verbena and Flower Arrangement Photos

Golden Chrysanthemums: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" Fall has arrived and the chrysanthemums are starting to bloom. It's a beautiful season. Autumn blessings to you and yours!

Little floral arrangement: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

Last week's post featured some of the flowers I entered in my local county fair.  I made this arrangement out of some of the survivors (they'd been cut for the fair over a week before I got them back so it's a blessing that any survived at all). I believe the little cup/vase contains: yellow, orange and pink zinnias; yellow chrysanthemums, Mexican bush sage and a caladium leaf.

Sun soaked zinnias: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

The zinnias have been the star of our garden this year. Last year it was dahlias. Will be interesting to see what happens next year.

Teeny tiny orange marigold: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

These are the smallest marigolds I've ever grown. Most are under 1/2" in diameter. They didn't bloom until late in the summer but I'm glad they finally did. 

Violet verbena: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

I found this pretty bicolor verbena struggling under the giant red zinnias. I'm sharing the photo to remind myself to mark it so I don't plant zinnias all around it next year.

The garden is winding down but we still have one kind of chrysanthemum that hasn't bloomed yet so you'll get at least one more floral Friday/Maryland garden post this year. Then I hope to sprinkle in photos taken in other gardens this summer to brighten some of our winter Fridays.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you!

Related posts:
Autumn flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/10/autumn-maryland-garden-flower-photos.html
Multicolored chrysanthemums: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/11/chrysanthemum-kaleidoscope-photos.html
Yellow chrysanthemums & more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/chrysanthemum-obedient-plant-tithonia.html

Blue Ribbon Flowers for Floral Friday

Little orange zinnia flower: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

Happy Floral Friday! This is a special edition of "this week in my Maryland garden" as all the flowers were grown in my garden but the photos were taken on location at the fair (several days after they'd been cut then judged and displayed). The flowers looked nicer the day I cut them but I wasn't able to get photos at that time.

I am amazed, honored and excited to have been awarded at least 21 blue ribbons in the flower department (I entered in 49 categories)! A large number of my entries were in the zinnia categories, such as the pretty little orange zinnia in the photo above.

Medium white zinnia flower: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

Until I'd entered in the fair for the first time I thought you could only enter one type of flower for the fair (for example, one rose, one zinnia, one marigold) but it turns out that my fair has many categories, mostly based on color and diameter/size (and they even get out their rulers when you submit to make sure you're entering in the right size category). I think I was able to enter three different white zinnias, in the "under 1 inch", "1-2 inch" and "2-4 inch" categories, and two, including the one above, won blue ribbons. Pretty neat! Especially since I grew these white zinnias from seed.

Giant red zinnia winner: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler

I was especially excited that my giant red zinnia, also grown from seed, won a blue ribbon. I thought I'd have giant orange, pink and purple to enter too but while they were close, none of the pretty ones were over the 4" in diameter required for the "large" zinnia category. Only the red had large enough blooms. Although, when I bought the seeds, they were all supposed to be red anyway. The giants of other colors were a surprise blessing.

Miniature bicolor dahlia: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

My dahlias have mostly petered out  but I was able to enter two in the miniature category and they both won blue ribbons. The bicolor one, pictured above and a burgundy one.

Red hybrid tea rose: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

The roses are also producing fewer blooms now that autumn is approaching but this divine smelling red rose won a blue ribbon. My pink one won a lesser ribbon but the person who earned first place definitely deserved it.

Hearty thanks to my kind hearted husband who carried all my vases in for me and waited patiently while I entered everything! And for all the times he watered my flowers for me too! And congratulations to him on his photography ribbon!

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you!

If you'd like a vote in selecting this week's most popular flower photo, please let me know which photo you like best from today's post. Also, if you enter in your own county fair, I'd love to hear about it! And feel free to share any tips on entering fairs too. 

Related posts: 
2013 county fair flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/09/county-fair-photos-haikus-and-results.html
2012 county fair flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/09/fair-flower-photos-for-floral-friday.html
County fair flower art: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/08/flower-paintings-for-floral-friday.html

Morning Glory, Bicolor Day Lily, Magic Sunrise Dahlia, Black Eyed Susans and Unusual Zinnia

White morning glory Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" The morning glories are blooming nicely and their white color seems cooling in the summer heat.

Bicolor day lily: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

I love this striking deep red and bright yellow bicolor day lily. 

Magic sunrise dahlia: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

And I'm thrilled that our magic sunrise dahlias finally started blooming this week. Can you see the bee in the upper left hand corner? The bees are happy too. 

Black eyed Susans: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

The black eyed Susans have been blooming for a few weeks but something is chewing on their petals so it's hard to find nice fresh ones for photos. But from a distance they look great. 

Funky orange zinnia: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

And in the midst of our giant zinnias we have this one unusually shaped zinnia. The whole plant has this type of flower. I thought it was neat. Yesterday a visitor noticed it and said it looked "so perfect it doesn't look real." The giant zinnias are still my favorite but this is a pleasant surprise.

Thank you for joining me on this week's mini garden tour. Which photo did you like best? What kind of summer fun are you having? May God bless you this summer and always!

Related posts:
First giant zinnias and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/coreopsis-zinnia-hydrangea-dahlia-and.html
Red giant zinnias and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/07/giant-zinnias-gladiola-mr-optimist.html
Dahlia, zinnia and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/07/vinca-dahlia-giant-zinnias-and-day-lily.html

Coreopsis, Zinnia, Hydrangea, Dahlia and Golden Sundrop Flower Photos

Bee on red coreopsis: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" I had so many "critter on flower" pictures that I'm saving some for the next "wild Wednesday" post so be sure to come back for those. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy today's pretty blooms. The red coreopsis are still going strong and the bees are enjoying the sea of flowers.

Giant orange zinnia: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

I was super excited to see our first giant zinnia bloom. After falling in love with the giant red zinnias at the National Arboretum last year, I bought a seed packet that was supposed to produce only red flowers in hopes of having some of my own. Even though this one is clearly orange (and not red), I love it. Since this flower opened I've seen another from the seed packet with white blooms. I think more than 20 of the seeds sprouted so there are at least 18 more changes for an actual red zinnia.

Baby hydrangea: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

Last year I don't think our hydrangeas produced any flowers so I was thrilled to see flower heads forming this year. This is our very first bloom of the year (it's just starting to open).

Miniature dahlia: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

The miniature dahlias I planted earlier this spring are producing another rush of flowers.

Heliopsis (golden sundrops): Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2015

And the heliopsis plants (also called golden sundrops) are producing a lot of bright yellow flowers which have been atracting golden finches. Usually I deadhead flowers this early in the season but I've been leaving spent blooms on these because I like watching the finches feed on them.

That's all for this week's mini flower garden tour. Thank you for visiting! May God bless you!

Related posts:
Giant dahlias: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/four-dahlias-and-dianthus-for-floral.html
Sunflowers and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/sunflowers-dahlias-marigolds-verbena.html
Bright dahlias: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/10/delightful-dahlia-close-up-photos.html

Teddy Bear Sunflower, Black-Eyed Susan, Zinnia, Vinca and Bicolor Day Lily Photos

Black eyed Susan field Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, July 2014

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland Garden." I especially love my garden at this time of year. God has blessed me with so many flowers it's hard to choose just five for this weekly feature.  I hope you enjoy my selections. The cheery black-eyed Susans are at their peak (and they're also the Maryland state flower).

Orange zinnia: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, July 2014

 This orange zinnia flower is over four inches in diameter.

Teddy bear sunflower: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, July 2014

The tiny but gorgeously fluffy teddy bear sunflower blooms are adorable. 

Bicolor day lily: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, July 2014

The day lilies are still going strong. We have early, mid and late season bloomers so it keeps the day lily area full of flowers for a nice part of the summer.

Red vinca: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, July 2014

I love the raindrops on this red vinca. It seems to be doing fine in its hanging basket but if it starts to suffer and we have a cool day I'll probably plant it in the ground.

Thank you for joining me on this week's photo tour of my Maryland garden! May God bless, keep and encourage you!

Related posts:
Yellow finch feeds on black-eyed Susans: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/08/yellow-finch-feeding-on-black-eyed.html
2013 black-eyed Susans: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-butterfly-bee-and-bunch-of-beautiful.html
Raindrops on pretty flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/08/raindrops-on-pretty-flowers-for-floral.html
Flowers and insects: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/07/pretty-flowers-wild-insects-this-week.html

Fair Flower Photos for Floral Friday

Earlier this week I posted about my county fair frenzy so I thought for floral Friday I'd show you some of the flowers I entered in the fair. These aren't the actual blooms entered but are flowers from the same plants (thought you'd appreciate the prettier ones still on the plants).

I think our yellow knockout rose earned a blue (1st place) ribbon. I love this rose because it smells slightly lemony and the blooms fade to white so it's like you get two kinds of roses on one plant.

I think our white hybrid tea rose also earned a county fair ribbon.

I'm not actually sure what type of rose this is but I guessed it was a floribunda and I think it earned a blue ribbon.

Last year our orange zinnia earned a first place (blue) ribbon but this year I think it earned third place (white). Even though I grew this plant from seeds I gathered from last year's blue ribbon winner, the rabbits kept eating the seedlings down to the ground and this plant is a good two feet shorter than it's parent was. The birds, butterflies and bees still love it though.

I think our red and pink zinnias that I started from seed after our front yard was excavated this spring earned white and red ribbons. You might wonder why I keep writing "I think."  Well, I entered over 30 flowers and floral arrangements and I didn't write down my results so while I'm pretty sure I remember correctly, I'm not 100% sure. On Monday I'll pick up my vases and ribbons and then I can give a true count. I wish I'd taken pictures of the fresh floral arrangements before submitting them, especially because they were my first floral arrangements ever entered in any kind of contest. However, they are already suffering from the heat and humidity and don't look so hot now. Also, as a separate note to remember for next year, I'll have to find out if it's permissible to add a flower preservative to the water (I assumed it wasn't but it can't hurt to ask) because that would help them all to last longer.

So, those are 5 of the 30+ flower entries I clipped from our Maryland garden and entered in our county fair this year. It was a lot of work to make sure all the flowers and vases met the requirements and fill out the paperwork and tags. I'm not sure I'll ever enter so many again but it was certainly fun to do once.

Which flower did you like best? Have you ever entered anything in a county or state fair? I'd love to hear about it!

May God bless you, dear reader!

Dragonfly and Butterflies on Flowers at the U.S. National Arboretum

Dragonfly on water lily photo by Phyllis Wheeler

Happy floral Friday and holiday weekend to you! My husband and I took these photos at the U.S. National Arboretum and we hope you enjoy them. I felt blessed to be able to capture this dragonfly on the water lily because the insect was moving around rapidly.

Butterfly on orange zinnia photo by Ben Wheeler

 A rare untattered swallowtail butterfly. Most of the ones I see are kind of raggedy (but still beautiful).

Future butterfly on white flowers photo by Ben Wheeler

This insect isn't yet a butterfly but hopefully will be soon. I liked how my husband caught the caterpillar wrapping itself around the flowers and stem of the plant in the herb garden section of the National Arboretum.

Butterfly on orange zinnia photo by Phyllis Wheeler

This butterfly looked more blue in person and was moving about even more rapidly than the dragonfly. Isn't God's creation amazing? May He bless you today and always!

National Arboretum Flowers & Insects for Floral Friday

Red zinnia: Photo by Phyllis Wheeler

A walk through the National Arboretum always leads to pleasant surprises and summer is full of them. They have a whole bunch of zinnias in the National Herb Garden. We have red zinnias in our own garden but none as big as the one pictured above.

Yellow flower cluster: Photo by Phyllis Wheeler

These yellow flowers were also in the National Herb Garden section of the U.S. National Arboretum (USNA).

Tiny jasmine flowers: Photo by Phyllis Wheeler

 This fancy jasmine smelled nice to me and I don't usually like the scent of jasmine.

Butterfly feeding: Photo by Ben Wheeler

 My husband caught this beautiful butterfly feeding from an orange zinnia flower.

Moth in purple: Photo by Ben Wheeler

He also got this striking shot of a moth on what I think is a bachelor button flower (if you know for sure the name of the flower please share).

Hope you enjoyed this Floral Friday's featured photos. May God bless you!