Love, Joy and Peas: zinnia

Showing posts with label zinnia. Show all posts

Friday, August 19, 2016

Giant Dahlia, Echinacea, Dianthus, Vinca and Zinnia Flowers

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" Our pale yellow dinnerplate dahlia started blooming. I love the giant flowers (this one is about 7" wide).

The echinacea (purple conflower) plants are still putting out a few fresh flowers, although the majority have faded.

This dianthus is doing the best of all if its kind in my garden. It's the only one in part shade (the rest are in full sun, which I think is what their tag said they prefer, but clearly mine like some shade).

The vinca flowers continue to bloom nicely. I liked the glistening dew drops on this one.

The zinnias are the star of the garden this year, partly because I planted so many and partly because the birds, butterflies and bees love them.

Thank you for visiting! I hope this finds you safe and cool, despite the summer heat. May God bless and keep you!

Related posts:
Giant red zinnia: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/07/giant-zinnias-gladiola-mr-optimist.html
Funky dahlias: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/four-dahlias-and-dianthus-for-floral.html
Sunflower & dahlia: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/sunflowers-dahlias-marigolds-verbena.html

Friday, June 10, 2016

Rose, Purple Coneflower, Shasta Daisy, Sweet Pea and Zinnia Flowers

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" The roses are at peak glory with beautiful flowers covering the bushes.

The echinacea (also known as purple coneflower) is just beginning it's season.

This is the very first shasta daisy flower of the year here in my Maryland garden.

I'm not sure if this is year two or three for our sweet peas but from two surviving plants we now have about an eight foot diameter spread of their vines.

Last week I finally planted my giant red zinnia seeds but my kind husband bought these mini zinnias for me while I wait for the giants to grow. It's nice to have color in the zinnia areas already.

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

Which was your favorite photo? What is your favorite flower scent?

Related posts:
Bees on flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/busy-bees-on-beautiful-blooms-zinnia.html
Giant zinnia and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/07/zinnias-roses-joe-pye-weed-day-lilies.html
Butterflies on coneflowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/07/butterflies-and-bees-love-purple.html

Friday, October 2, 2015

Rain Drenched Chrysanthemum, Marigold, Echinacea and Zinnia Flowers

Happy October, happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" The golden chrysanthemums look nicer this week and seem to glisten in the rain and glow in the sun.

The French marigolds grown from seed seem to be doing the best of all the marigolds we planted this year. I especially love the bicolor ones.

The white zinnias seem to be wrapping up so I was glad to get one last fresh photo for you.

And I was pleasantly surprised to see a late blooming echinacea (aka purple coneflower). Most of the larger plants have already set seed. I like to leave the seeds up for the birds for winter feeding.

The yellow zinnias are still going strong and I hope to see more fresh flowers through frost.

Thank you for joining me on this week's mini Maryland garden tour. May the all powerful God who created us and every beautiful flower bless you, comfort all those who grieve, heal all who are sick, and encourage all who need it.

Related posts:
Cute critters and flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/cute-critters-on-flowers.html
Bees on blooms: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/busy-bees-on-beautiful-blooms-zinnia.html
Butterflies and coneflowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/07/butterflies-and-bees-love-purple.html

Friday, September 25, 2015

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

Friday, September 18, 2015

Blue Ribbon Flowers for Floral Friday

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Sugar Free September: Days 9-17

My Sugar Free September experiment is going very well. Very few cravings now, which is great. The weather has been cooler and I think being outside more helps reduce cravings; although it could just be that eating less sugar in general leads to fewer sugar cravings.

I started a new medicine and my weight has gone up (unfortunately) but I hope once my body adjusts that will be less of an issue (if not I'll ask to switch medicines). Until I started the new medicine I'd had three days in a row with greater than usual energy (a real plus!) and I suspect that was due to the reduced sugar consumption. I used some of that extra energy preparing for my county fair and, God willing, tomorrow's floral Friday post will feature some of my blue ribbon winning flowers. I think flowers are nicer than sugar.

Hearty thanks to all who are encouraging and helping me with this journey towards greater health and less sugar consumption! Kudos and strength to those of you joining me on the journey too! May God bless you and keep you all!

Related posts:
Sugar free post 1: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/09/sugar-free-september-day-1.html
Sugar free post 2: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/09/sugar-free-september-days-2-8.html
2013 County Fair Flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/09/county-fair-photos-haikus-and-results.html

Friday, September 4, 2015

Dahlia with Skipper, Unusual Zinnias, Vinca and Dill

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" It's been hot and we've lost some plants but overall the flowers are doing great despite the heat.

I love these puffy, pom pom type zinnias and this pink one is my favorite of the bunch.

We've got a variety of vina flowers but this was the prettiest of the week.

In the naturalized herb garden we have this volunteer dill and I like its cheerful yellow flowers.

And the giant red zinnias are going strong. Some are nearly five feet tall and need staking. But it's worth the effort for their gorgeous flowers.

Thank you for joining me on this week's mini garden tour! May God bless you!

Want to help determine this week's most popular flower? Please share which photo you like best from today's post! I'll be gathering your votes from various sources and posting the results in the comments section of this post next week.

Related posts:
Unusual flower photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/07/sunrise-zinnia-pink-rose-sunrise-dahlia.html
Pom pom cherry blossoms: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/04/cherry-blossom-pom-pom-flower-photos.html
Late summer flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/chrysanthemum-obedient-plant-tithonia.html

Friday, August 28, 2015

Dahlia, Marigolds, Zinnia, Butterfly Bush and Friend

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" It's been really hot but the flowers are still going strong, and I'm thankful.

I love these bicolor French marigolds that I grew from seed. They are getting so large I might have to stake some of them.

I've already had to stake a bunch of the giant zinnias (also grown from seed) and some of the plants are so tall they reach my shoulders. In the photo above you can see a giant bright pink zinnia just opening up and, in the background, a light pink that is fully open. I often see golden finches, butterflies, moths and bees enjoying the giant zinnias.

This is another potted butterfly bush (I featured a white one last week). I love the bright orange centers and the lilac colored petals. We do plan to put them in the ground once things start cooling down so they have time to establish deeper roots before winter.

Some of the African marigolds (also grown from seed) have grown nearly as tall as the giant zinnias. It's really exciting to see so many pretty flowers on plants I grew from seed. I love all flowers but the ones grown from seed are extra special.

Thank you for joining me on this week's mini garden tour! May God bless you!

Which photo(s) did you like best from today's post? Someone mentioned that she'd like to see the results posted and I thought it was a great idea. So I'm going to start listing the vote totals in the comments of the floral Friday posts and will count votes shared here, in Facebook and other forums. I'll aim to give the vote totals for the previous week on the same day I do the new week's post (for example, today I'll post the vote totals for last week's post in that post's comment section) so that gives you about a week to vote. I'd love to hear from you anytime though! Feel free to share!

Related posts:
Raindrops on flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/10/raindrops-on-roses-azalea-camellia.html
Marigolds and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/shasta-daisies-coreopsis-sweet-peas.html
Mystery flowers and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/sunflower-day-lilies-vinca-and-mystery.html

Friday, August 21, 2015

Lantana, Zinnia, Dahlias, and Butterfly Bush Flowers

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" The lantanas are great drought-tolerant butterfly-attracting plants. I like this white with yellow center one but the bright multicolored and straight yellow flowers are nice too.

I think the zinnias are the stars of our garden this year and love that I grew most of them (including the one pictured above) from seed. The birds and butterflies love them too.

Dahlia blooms are still trickling in here and there.

The butterfly bushes are doing great; even the ones in pots. We didn't intend to grow any in pots but the soil where we planned to put them this spring turned out to be riddled with tree roots so four bushes are in pots until my hard working husband can get to clear out spots for them.

The "sights of summer" dahlia is currently the most prolific of the larger dahlias. It's nice to have a few big blooms. Next year I think we'll go back to the dinnerplate dahlias though. We seemed to get a whole lot more flowers from them. But we appreciate all flowers as they bloom.

Thank you for joining me on this week's mini garden tour! May God bless you!

Which photo(s) did you like best? Do you have any tips for keeping dahlias happy all summer? I'd love to hear them!

Related posts:
Cute critters on flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/cute-critters-on-flowers.html
Raindrops on butterfly bush and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/10/raindrops-on-roses-azalea-camellia.html
Colorful lantana: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/06/zinnia-vinca-coreopsis-geranium-and.html

Friday, July 24, 2015

Sunrise Zinnia, Pink Rose, Sunrise Dahlia, Joe Pye Weed and Funky Coleus Flowers

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" I'm not sure what kind of zinnia the one above actually is but I think of it as my sunrise zinnia and love its multicolored petals.

Our roses are still going strong although I've had to pick a few Japanese beetles off of them.

The Magic Sunrise dahlia is my current favorite although I do love all of the dahlias.

The joe pye weed flowers are just starting to open and should be covered in bees by next week.

I thought these coleus flowers were really unique and pretty. I usually cut all the flowers off of our coleus plants as soon as they appear (we grow them for the foliage) but I'm letting these remain because they're so neat.

Thank you for joining me on this week's mini garden photo tour! May God bless you!

What is your favorite photo from this week's post? Is there a flower I haven't posted that you'd like to see in the future?

Related posts:
Funky flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/09/flowers-freeloaders-and-funkiness-for.html
Sparkling and funky flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/09/sparkling-chrysanthemums-dahlias-zinnia.html
Funky daffodil: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/04/pretty-pansies-periwinkle-forsythia-and.html