A Little Beauty

This little seedling possesses a few of the qualities I have been trying to capture when making crosses - deeply colored veins, dark eyezone, ruffled petals, all on a pretty base color. It's only about 18" tall, and the flowers about 3" across, so it will fit nicely in tight spots.

A Painted Lily

This daylily is unlike any other I have seen or grown. The petals look like they have been painted on with a painbrush. I thought it was just a fluke on the first flower but they have all been like it. The flowers are fairly large, too, at least 5" across. And the scapes are pretty tall, too.

Is this a star?

I finally got a good shot of this flower. It is one of those that is hard to capture.

Simply Elegant

This is the first bloom to open for this seedling of Hyperion. It's color is a creamy yellow with crisp edges and white midribs. Add in the fragrance of Hyperion and I could have a field of these!

NEW Baby!

You really need to click on the image and view it in the large size to truly appreciate it.


This baby has been a number of years in the making, at the very least, three years, probably four, though. It has a very heavy substance and it just GLOWS in the garden. It's in between a ton of other lilies and I noticed it from a distance, in the rain. It is definitely a child of Night Wings (a near-black tetraploid).

Notice the midribs heavily defined on the petals, and even visible on the sepals! I can't wait to see it in the sun (if we ever get to see the sun again)!

Laugh at my expense - I insist!

My father had his right hip replaced on Monday. I figured the first day he would be completely out of it, so I would wait until today to visit him in the hospital. I stopped in tonight after working at an event for a local non-profit. It was about 10:15 but I checked and he was still awake, so I went up there. Things were going well. He looked pretty good, obviously a bit groggy from the drugs.

I'd been there about ten minutes gabbing and my dad explained, casually, WHAT it is that they do when replacing a hip - power tools were mentioned - the whole works. Being the "tough guy" that I am, I was handling it quite well, or so I thought. I did feel a bit warm and I attributed that to running from the parking lot in the pouring rain (I don't run, usually), and I figured I just needed a glass of water. I stood up to go to the sink and I recall becoming a bit light-headed as I got my water. I took a sip and thought it was just what I needed until I felt the room spinning violently and my feet didn't seem to work. I tried to walk to the chair but I couldn't navigate. I recall my father asking me if I was okay and I remember spilling the water on me and then the next thing I knew there were FOUR nurses in the room, looking down at me.

Yep, I fainted.

I think I was trying to get down to the floor and then just fell, but it's still a bit hazy. One of the nurses had misunderstood WHO had fallen on the floor, and thought it was my father but she was relieved - until I closed my eyes and asked them to just leave me on the floor. I recall all of them repeating at intervals 'You look awfully pale...You don't look so good.', etc. One of them said I looked awfully green and she thought I should visit the ER! I assured them I was fine and didn't need anything but to lay there for a while. At their insistance, they helped me up and to the chair. I told them I was sure that I didn't hit my head falling and they finally left me alone after replacing my ice water, since I was wearing my first cup. I know I was laughing when I started to feel better and I told them all to have a good laugh out of it; if nothing else, I brought a little excitement to their night. I think my dad got a good chuckle out of it, and I hope you do, too.

The name Pansy Bastard is just SO fitting!

Another baby

I have tentatively named this one "Egyptian Ivory" because of it's color and it's parentage - Egyptian Ibis, which was the pod parent.

Sunday Stealing - "I've come to realize meme"

1. I’ve come to realize that my chest-size. . .
...is larger than my aunt's.

2. I’ve come to realize that my job. . .
...can be a pain in the ass but is really doing something I love.

3. I’ve come to realize that when I’m driving. . .
...I'm a total fucking psycho.

4. I’ve come to realize that I need. . .
...liposuction!

5. I’ve come that realize that I have lost. . .
...MY YOUTH!

6. I’ve come to realize that I hate it when. . .
...half the people I know begin to speak.

7. I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk. . .
...I will most certainly die of anaphylactic shock.

8. I’ve come to realize that money...
...could probably buy me happiness.

9. I’ve come to realize that certain people. . .
...should really be dead.

10. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always. . .
...bitch about something.

11. I’ve come to realize that my sibling(s). . .
...are pretty damned awesome.

12. I’ve come to realize that my mom…
...looking fucking younger than I!

13. I’ve come to realize that my cell phone. . .
...is a pain in the ass that I would love to run over with my car!

14. I’ve come to realize that when I woke up this morning. . .
...I was hoping it wouldn't happen.

15. I’ve come to realize that last night before I went to sleep. . .
...I was curious to see if anyone bothered to read this and comment.

16. I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking. . .
...of those damned deer and rabbits pillaging my garden since it rained away my liquid fence.

17. I’ve come to realize that my dad. . .
...really needs to be on prozac.

18. I’ve come to realize that when I get on Facebook. . .
...I'm sucked into those damned games!

19. I’ve come to realize that today. . .
...is never long enough, yet is often too long.

20. I’ve come to realize that tonight. . .
...is over and I should be in bed!

21. I’ve come to realize that tomorrow. . .
...is going to be a pain in the ass

22. I’ve come to realize that I really want to. . .
...hybridize a lily that will appeal to the masses

23. I’ve come to realize that the person mostly likely to repost this is. . .
...Joe

24. I’ve come to realize that life. . .
...is a lot of work.

25. I’ve come to realize that this weekend. . .
...really sucked.

26. I’ve realized the best music to listen to when I am upset. . .
...is Sarah McLachlan.

27. I’ve come to realize that my friends. . .
...are incredibly patient.

28. I’ve come to realize that this year. . .
...hasn't been as bad as last year.

29. I’ve come to realize that me exes. . .
...are forever staying that way!

30. I’ve come to realize that maybe I should. . .
...file the piles of crap in my office.

31. I’ve come to realize that I love. . .
...

32. I’ve come to realize that I don’t understand. . .
...how people can watch faux wresting (RAW, etc.)

33. I’ve come to realize my past. . .
...has long shadows.

34. I’ve come to realize that parties. . .
...are not unlike meetings - DULL!

35. I’ve come to realize that I’m totally terrified. . .
...of spiders.

36. I’ve come to realize that my life. . .
...in wonderously complicated.

Daylily Seedling (first bloomed 2005)

One of my favorite daylily seedlings. It's a cross of Hyperion and Prairie Blue Eyes.

Lilium Candidum - The Madonna Lily

One of the oldest lilies in cultivation, and an often temperamental one to grow, when it blooms, it puts other lilies to shame: flawless white color, striking gold stamens and an enchanting scent unbeatable by any other lily.

Rose

The only rosebush to escape the wrath of the satanic deer and bunnies (because it dies back to the ground every year) is blooming like crazy this year. The color is hard to capture.

My month so far can be summed us thusly:

April showers bring May flowers; May and June showers bring......

...weeds, wet flowers and mud! Every other day it seems to rain or at least remain mostly cloudy which, no doubt, is causing my vitamin D deficiency. The cottonwoods are spewing their evil cotton, which seems to have a 150% germination rate because I have those stupid things popping up everywhere! And heaven forbid the dog go potty on the grassy areas! She seems to hone in on the muddiest paths. And my liquid fence has been washed away more times than I care to count, so the rabbits and deer are having a smorgasboard with just about everything. I have daisies with no petals, just the yellow centers. Hell, why not just eat the whole thing?? Probably because then I wouldn't have to run around dead-heading them. Bastards.

At least my peonies are surviving. Peonies are such beautiful flowers, usually fragrant and long lasting. Peonies, however, do not do well with rain while blooming. I always have at least one bouqet on my nightstand so I can enjoy their scent but this year I've got vases all over the place!

Yellow Iris

Finally! After about 10 years of nothing, the little bastard decided to bloom. I guess it was worth the wait. It's gorgeous!

Iris seedling

A NEW seedling, planted in 2007, has finally decided it would bloom this year, and the result is just stunning (at least to me!).

I would call it a silvery-white.

For more of my Iris, they are on my flickr page.

Iris

The first iris is one of my seedlings that finally bloomed for the first time last year but wasn't too impressive. This year, it has really done well. Its pod-parent was Edith Wolford, which has opposite colors.



The second picture is one of my seedlings that looks very similar to the original species I. Germanica. The beards are vibrantly orange.



The last one is the heirloom iris Eleanor Roosevelt.

I hope to have a couple other seedlings blooming soon, one I know will be pink, the other is too soon to tell. The weather this "spring" has been so nuts that things are not blooming when they normally do.

Smells of Spring

One of most favorite smells of Spring are those of burning leaves, branches, yard debris, and the occasional odd piece of plastic, fiberglass or other noxiously-fumed material. I think I'm going to make a line of candles of the new smells of spring:

Burning Garbage - combines the sweet smell of leftovers you can't feed the dog, burning plastic, putrescent eggs, and a hint of spoiled milk.

Burning Leaves - combines the smell of wet and moldy leaves of oak, maple, and ash trees with just a hint of gasoline and a touch of sulphur.

Shotgun Blow back - nothing more refreshing than the invigorating smell of a recently fired 12-gauge shotgun, complete with smoke.

Freshly Plowed Farm - a collection of cow, horse, pig, and sheep manure, mixed with highlights of diesel fuel and rotting hay

Lily of the Valley

Spring would not be complete without the intoxicating, sweet smell of Lily of the Valley. My pink ones, for which I paid a zillion dollars, did not bloom. However, the white ones did quite spectacularly. The photo is of a bunch I picked to bring inside. My entire room is sweetly scented. It's heavenly!

LOSER

I'm not sure which is worse - being a school board member and living in his parents' basement, or having his dad call 911 because he's a slob and then becoming a hot news item.


If I were him, I'd be looking at suicide options.

Mother Nature is a PSYCHO-BITCH!

The weather has been insane! It was warm one week and then cold and then semi-warm, and then rain, rain, rain, rain, and then HAIL FROM HELL - 3" I had all over my yard, shredding what was blooming. It has been pretty cool for this time of year, which isn't conducive to most flowers. My oldest and favorite peony - only half of it is coming up this year, the other half must be dead. Normally it would be knee-high by now. And my Seven Sister's rose, which I got from my grandmother, who got it from her mother-in-law, who got it from her mother...and so on and so forth - well, it died back to the ground, but is FINALLY coming up. Of course, it only blooms on old wood, so no beatiful clusters of seven flowers this year. I even protected it with chicken-wire. It was this crazy-ass weather. My lilacs are doing ok. The biggest one is blooming, but only on the highest branches. One of the babies I moved a few years ago is finally blooming, I might snap a shot of it tomorrow. The other two babies I planted at the same time haven't done shit. I'm going to dig them up and plant something else there. I've got 600+ daylily seeds in peat pots in the fridge, and I'll be able to start pulling them out in a few weeks. They don't bloom for at least two seasons but they are my babies. At least my flowers have sex!