July 8: Pincushions and Primroses

Two of my favorite garden flowers have grown around each other in my front flower beds: scabiosa (which is a horrid name for such a lovely flower!), also known as pincushion flowers (named so because when the petals fall away, the flower head looks just like a pincushion, with little pins sticking up all over it) and Mexican primroses--which I love for their lovely pink cups and bright yellow centers.

June 9: Sunflowers

A simple pot of sunflowers in a friend's garden can make me happy....

Day 70: Pincushion Flowers

One of my favorite flowers is scabiosa, known as the pincushion flower. When all the petals fall, the seed pod looks like a pincushion with little pins stuck into it in all directions. I can grow them a little up here in the mountains, but they thrive in the warmer coastal climates.

With my current schedule, I can't always be taking photos every day. I knew this fact when I started the 365 blog and told myself I would POST a photo a day, not necessarily TAKE a photo a day. :)

Day 65: More Daffodils

My daffodils are in bloom for such a short time that I get rather photo-crazy with them. Get used to it. ;)

Day 64: Portents of Spring

My daffodils are starting to bloom ... a definite sign that spring is around the corner....

Day 42: Snowy Week

It's been a verrrry c-c-c-cold week. Rain. Sleet. Hail. Snow. Finally on Monday night we *really* got snow ... about an inch or so. I love seeing our mountain home covered with snow -- so cosy and wonderful. The kids loved playing in the white stuff, but I was quite chagrined to find my precious, spicy-scented stocks frozen solid.

Day 35: The Japanese Bridge

The weather here in Southern California has been so delightful that outdoor photos are a must. This will be (perhaps) my last photo from my trip last Friday to Summers Past Farms, but the pictures came out so nice that it's hard to resist posting them. Even though hardly any flowers are blooming in late January, the gardens are still lovely and relaxing, fueling both reflection and creativity.

Day 34: An Unexpected Visitor

I was taking photos at Summers Past Farms on Friday and happened to snap this visitor in a bright yellow poppy. Very few flowers were blooming in the middle of winter, but these poppies are so bright and cheerful.

Day 32: Before and After

I took this photo at Summers Past Farms on Friday, and I couldn't decide whether I liked the first, normal photograph or the second art-enhanced photo better. What do you think?

Day 14: A Little Glimpse o' Spring

I was trying to find a way to blur the background of this photo when I found the artbrush option -- and I fell in love with what it did to my humble little stock. I adore the spicy scent of stocks -- one of my favorite fragrant flowers. With the weather so warm lately (70's again today), I bought one six pack and planted them in the pots on my front porch. They will probably get snowed on many a time this winter, but they can handle it.

Summers Past Farms in Autumn

One of my very favourite places in all of San Diego is Summers Past Farms in Flinn Springs, east of El Cajon and west of Alpine. I can see its red barn gift shop and extendive gardens from the freeway as I drive up and down the mountain. I spend a lot of time there each spring, but this week I stopped by in autumn and revelled in the still-blooming gardens and the sweet pumpkin patch, taking over 100 photos as I do every time I stop by with my camera. I also made my way into the barn that serves as a gift shop where I purchased my friend Judith's birthday gift. In fact, I buy a great many special birthday gifts at Summers Past Farms.

But it's the gardens that fill my soul with joy and dream about creating in my own yard. After a chat with the owner, I purchased their special sweet pea seeds and will plant them with a prayer as our mountain frosts will cause a great challenge to early spring flowers that are cold-sensitive. Also with her advice, I'll try some morning glories next spring as well. I was hard pressed to pass by the gorgeous pansies (see bottom photo) in the small nursery without taking them home for my own garden. B was obviously with me and allowed me to shoot a photo or two of him as he ran circles around the gardens and across the huge lawn to the pumpkin patch. I stopped at the top of the Japanese bridge and looked over the shaded gardens.

I wanted to sit in the gardens with good friends, sipping their mango teas or special coffees OR purchasing plants in the nursery, OR buying just about EVERYTHING in the gift and soap shops, OR just curling up under a tree or in the herb garden to write and sketch. OR do as I did: take 100 photos of the beautiful gardens. Summers Past is a gem in the East County, and it's a special place of serenity and creativity for me.

By Any Other Name....

Roses are blooming in my garden which looks much improved after a visit from the Lake Murray Youth Group who spent all Tuesday morning up here, weeding and deadheading and cleaning out my very messy laundry room. I love this rose, with its speckled effect of yellow and peach. It rocks.

Spring Flowers at Summers Past Farms

I took these in mid-May at Summers Past Farms, and I simply haven't had time to edit the 150 photos I took there. Some are good, but these are the best, besides the sunflower photos I posted right after my trip to Summers Past. I love this place -- wonderful for photography, artwork, writing, visiting with friends over coffee, and, of course, shopping in the two gift shops and the small plant nursery. And the maze, whether covered with sweetpeas in the spring or morning glories in the summer, is always a miraculous place.

Sunflowers

Last week B and I made a quick stop at Summers Past Farms in Flinn Springs (East San Diego County), and we thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous gardens. I took many photos but haven't had time to edit many yet, but these were my favorites from the photo shoot. We have now planted our own sunflower seeds; we'll let you know how they do in the garden this summer.

Apple Blossoms

The apple blossoms on our Pippin tree were the most beautiful we've seen in our seven years in the mountains.

Flowers after the Rain

We received a light rain overnight, and my flowers, including my purple irises and miniature white daffodils.

Nothin' Like Pansies...

... to cheer me up when life is just a little more challenging than usual.

Tulips....

Last spring I planted four tulips, two fuschia and two red. The reds didn't come up this spring, but both of the fuschia ones did, including this one in the front flower bed. I took this yesterday afternoon, and by today when I got home from church, the blossoms were gone. Either the high winds or some critters must have beheaded my beauties. At least I have a photo to remember them by....

The Last of the Daffs....

I collected the last of the daffodils for a final bouquet. I love them, so it's always hard to say goodbye to them for another year. They're still blooming in nooks around town, but the ones in our garden are officially DONE.

Tuesday: Town in Bloom

The trees along the main highway going through our town are in full bloom. There's a mass of them in the post office parking lot, and a row of half a dozen on the "main drag" plus another grouping next to the library. I don't know what kind of tree they are (will have to ask Judith sometime as she's made friends with most of the trees in town), but they are certain harbingers of spring in our little mountain town.