It is cold- and dark. It seems like February will never come. And when it comes…it will be February. I hope you are enjoying the contest as we push on into deep winter. Here in Iowa City the Christmas tree is taken down. It is time for new beginnings. Some persons would suggest it is time for hibernation. Not here in the garden contest. In fact we may have the best week of pictures of all time.
But first- let us have the recap of last week. When I pick the pictures each week I strive for a balanced field. That should mean a competitive contest with all four pictures getting significant fan support. Last week I accomplished my goal. In one of the closest votes in a long time the winner was the trillium. Every other picture had significant support.
The totals
Trillium 25 for 31.6%
Crocus 22 for 27.8%
Anemone 16 for 20.2%
Lily 16 for 20.2%
Total voting 79
Now let me introduce this week’s contestants. I call this week the week of the heavyweights. Each plant in this picture has appeared before on previous contests. They have always done well. On the other hand I cannot eliminate all pictures taken in a year, just because the plant has appeared previously. I will let each of you decide which picture is the equivalent of the Yankees in baseball, or whether that is a good thing or not.
First up this week is the Blue Siberian Iris. The picture was taken on May 24. Late May is sometimes a down time for the garden. The bulbs are finished and the glory of the lilies has not happened yet. Siberian Iris appear in that in between time.
Next is the yellow/white water lily. This beauty appeared late in the year, on September 5.
The third picture is Tulip Monsella. Maybe after the contest is over I will have a week with nothing but Monsella tulip pictures. They are about as flashy as they come. Theses bulbs, like many hybrid tulips, do not hold up more than 2-3 years. So you just keep planting them.
Finally there is this Oriental poppy. Can you imagine anything that is more orange than this picture. For a special treat I will make this picture full size this week. Fill your screen with it. Look deep into the center. At the bottom lower right of the flower you can see the remains of the seedpod. This flower just opened within an hour or two of the picture being taken.
So how is that for a group of heavyweights.
Vote away.
For your bonus pleasure this week I have more Siberian Iris.
Stay warm.
If you think of winter as being from November 1 to March 1, we have passed the half way point.
Philip
No comments:
Post a Comment