Sunday, January 16, 2011

Mears Garden picture contest-Week 7- January 16, 2011-The light is coming

Welcome to week 7.
I looked outside yesterday about 5:15 and it was still light out. Here we are, almost a month past the solstice and change is coming. It is clearly there in the late afternoon. I am not so sure about the morning. I went out for the paper this morning at 6:45 and it sure seemed completely dark. I will take it wherever it comes.

I ordered some Caladium yesterday. The flier had come in the mail, and about the same time the email came reminding me that it was time to order these bulbs. In the past I have waited and all the really big ones were gone. So I did not wait. It turns out that this year they apparently had no jumbos. So it goes. I ordered Red Flash and Candidum. Gardening is all about planning and imagination.

Imagination can certainly be helped out by pictures. So let us talk pictures.

In last week's voting the Blue Siberian Iris slowly pulled away and is the latest picture to advance to the next round, which will be in 6 weeks.

The vote totals were as follows:
Siberian Iris 24 for 33%
Orange Poppy 18 for 25%
Monsella tulip 17 for 23.6%
Water lily 13 for 18.1%
Total votes 72


I understand they are playing tennis someplace this week, in Australia I see. Well, we are going to have doubles week here in the contest. In the first year of the contest I limited the contest to single flowers. That rule has long been abandoned. The pictures this week show you why. There are just a lot of really nice pictures, of two flowers.

First up is this pink orchid cactus. Orchid cactus are neither orchids or cactus. They are relatives of the Christmas cactus most people know about. Orchid cactus are bigger and at least here bloom in the summer. I grow them in pots and hang them from the trees. This pink duo bloomed on May 24.

Second we have this very cheerful daylily pair. The variety is called Fooled Me. The picture was taken on June 26.

Third is this naturalized crocus pair. Naturalized means it grows in the small amount of grass we have in the front yard. It was probably planted by a squirrel. The crocus pair bloomed on March 17. That date is only two months away.

Finally there is this red tulip pair, performing with the accompaniment of all the other colors of springtime. They performed on April 17.

Vote away.

For your bonus enjoyment this week there are other paired flowers from 2010.




This last picture, which looks like the tulips in the previous picture, is a clematis.
Philip Mears

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