At the foot of the extravagantly dressed dahlias, which posed for you yesterday, were several serene pools. Formal and exquisite, which contradicts my haphazard style of gardening, they were calming reflections of the sky above. This is one of the things I love about the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program. The many forms that gardens take throughout a region and the many forms a garden takes within its own borders. This garden was originally patterned after England’s famed Sissinghurst Castle gardens. It has since taken on a more tropical plants in a midwestern suburb on the outskirts of Chicago. There is a wonderful article about the in the September/October issue of Chicagoland Gardening Magazine.
It is late summer here. A prelude to Autumn. The waterlilies were few on Saturday, but, the lily pads were like slippers, waiting to slip onto weary feet. They were lovely to see. The show stoppers were the lotus plants, turning their unique seed pods to the sun. I had fun for a while with my camera, which is like an extra appendage to me. Duct taped to hold the batteries in and plagued with dust spots at all the wrong moments, it has been faithful to me, for which I am grateful, especially with some of these images, which I hope you will enjoy.
Gorgeous photos Penny! I’m curious to know if you were always into photography or if your interest, and ability, has sprung out of this blog. That would be an interesting byproduct of Lifeonthecutoff!
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Thank you, Janet. Not always. I liked taking pictures, but, it was getting a digital camera one Christmas and then a photo contest a few months later that the Elmhurst Garden Club had that piqued my interest, especially in photographing flowers. The blog made it all the more fun and I would say that the writing the blog produced the photo byproduct. I’m having fun with it.
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Exquisite photos, Penny. Our little lake in the forest has wild lilies growing on it. They are so enchanting 🙂 The seed heads are stunning, and so full of promise.
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Thank you, Kate. Wild lilies are enchanting, aren’t they. I love these seed heads and cringe when I remember paying five dollars apiece once-upon-a-time for two for an arrangement. Sigh.
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Beautiful images from your faithful camera, Penny. I love the lotus seed pods and smiled at your description of the lily pads like slippers for weary feet. Many years ago with my painting group I used to go to the waterlily pond in Auckland’s domain to draw and paint. It was always a serene experience being with these floating gardens.
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Thank you, Juliet, and what a beautiful image you paint with your words of Auckland’s waterlily pond. The lotus seed pods are the most amazing containers, aren’t they? They surprised me in this garden. Delights abound where we least expect them.
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After the gorgeous reds, pinks and mauves of your dahlia photos yesterday you now give us gorgeous greens, just wonderful.
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So kind of you, Marilyn. Thank you.
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These photos are lovely. I love your lotus seed pods. They always fascinate me. They remind me of a beautiful picture book that we used to read in third grade called the Lotus seed. It is about a young girl who saves a lotus seed from the Emporer’s Garden when he was overthrown. She cherished the seed and saved it as a remembrance after the family came to America as refugees. Many years later a careless grandson loses it in the mud. She grieves for the seed and her link to the past, but the next spring the long dormant lotus seed comes to life. She has a beautiful flower which produces new seeds. It is a lovely story, thanks for reminding me.
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Thank you. They are so interesting. It was all I could do not to reach in and pull out a seed. I’ve seen The Lotus Seed, Janet, and never read it. It is I who thanks you for telling me. I’ve already checked the library system and it is in most of the area libraries, so, I’ll be checking it out soon (as soon as I return all my late books, that is).
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[…] few days ago, Janet mentioned The Lotus Seed in her comments about my post on the lotus plants we saw. I finally had the opportunity to check this lovely children’s book out of the […]
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[…] Janet mentioned The Lotus Seed in her comments about my post on the lotus plants we saw. I finally had the opportunity to check […]
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