Flowers & Plums

Well, I went out to survey our vast domain here at Number 2 Hardeman Street and found all sorts of flowers, bee's and plums..hey, wait...did I just say Plums?!? Yes, we have 2 Plum trees and they are full of plums! It's the first year they have produced fruit. They plum was as green as the tree when it first appeared, then slowly has changed colors over the past few weeks. Now they are beginning to ripen up...soon we will have delicious plums to devour...plum preserves to slather across crisp crunchy toast...

I am glad to report that the bee population in Piedmont seems to be fine. I snapped a couple (or 20) pictures of the Purple Coneflowers and Gerbera Daisies with bees dining there. Hey, I'll show a few to you!

This is a teeny tiny bee having a teeny tiny snack at the Gerbera Cafe. He must have flown in before the lunch rush.

Here at the Purple Coneflower, we have 2 maybe 3 diners...When I first stepped in, there were about 6 diners, but a few of them left before I could snap their pictures.

Around at the side of the Manor, we have the Star Gazer Lilies blooming. They are beautiful! And very large. Probably about 6 inches across. They smell like a summers night in a tropical garden. And look at the specks of darker magenta/red in the center...I thought it was just color at first but upon closer inspection, it's a projection of some sort from the petal of the flower itself. Hmmm, interesting. Very interesting at what Mother Nature does with Her Flowers.

I also have several Dahlias in the Side Garden. Here is one that has the most beautiful yet rather strange blooms on it. The petals of the flower looks like velvet and are just as smooth to the touch.

See the layers of petals opening up...

Here's a picture without a flash...

And one with a flash. Interesting color difference.

Here's one of our huge Angel Wing Begonias. These plants are so easy to grow, and to keep all year long. Also one of the easiest plants to root as well...I just break off a piece of stem and stick it in a pot of dirt...or water. It roots and grows quickly.

The leaves are so shiny, they look almost fake.
The only draw back is the mess that the falling flowers make...