Special garden post, February 14, 2010- non contest pictures

If you think that it is difficult to vote for one picture sometimes, imagine my job of picking the pictures each week. In the fall I start identifying the pictures, intending to pick out 48 pictures, which is 4 pictures for 12 weeks. I usually start out with 60-70 pictures. I then start the discard process. I then get down to 50-55 pictures, even though of that group I know that maybe 40 are clearly going to be in the contest.
I then start sorting those into weekly groups, trying to balance the types of flowers and even the seasons. So for example I try not to have 2 tulips in any one week.
I continue this process throughout the contest, sometimes making changes up to the last minute.
So now we are at the last week of the 12 week period, and all 48 pictures have been put out there in the last 12 weeks.
This post is for the pictures almost made it into the contest. I thought I would let you see this group.
So here they are.

I give you the non contestants for the Fourth Annual Winter Picture Contest.
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This is Delmar. I really had a hard time picking between this picture and Blush of Innocence in week 6. Delmar is one of the very few daylilies where I have gone and bought a second plant at the firs tone bloomed.
This is Conca d'Or, a new lily in the garden in 2009. I is beautiful and the plant gets tall- 4-5 feet.

This is another morning glory. The wonderful blue one was the winner in Week 8. These fractured colors are a keeper. I understand that they are also suppose to bloom pink.

This is the seedpods from the castor bean plant. My daughter Maggie put this picture on a t-shirt and gave it to me. When I wear it I wonder what people who see me think.

This is the habanera pepper plant that I grew in a pot on our side steps this year. I have been impressed by how easily you can grow some vegetables in pots. (tomatoes do not do as well as peppers.)

This is hosta June, one of the all time prettiest hosta.

This is the spring wildflower, the shooting star. Everyone in Iowa should make the time to go to Rochester Cemetery, about 20 miles east of Iowa City. In the spring there are thousands of these shooting stars.

Ah, the yellow orchid cactus. It needs no introduction.

This of course is the old purple coneflower. It has such wonderful patterns in the center. It reminds me of the patterns in a cornfield when the little plants are just coming up. They are all in straight lines unless the field is on a hillside when there are curves.

Finally here is a phalanopsis orchid that bloomed in the trees over the summer. Orchids are showing up more and more in my garden. As I have mentioned if you have shade you have trees and you can hang things in trees.

There you have it. These were the pictures that made the top 60 pictures but never got into the contest. There were still worth an appearance. Enjoy.
Philip