Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden encourages us to share a vase highlighting what is growing in our gardens. In my part of Ontario, Canada, it’s been as hot and humid as Florida many days this month, and all the orange and purple flowers now blooming reflect that. I’m a bit impressed with my picture taking this week. Not only were nearly all the photos in focus (some are super sharp, to my eye), but I hit a sweet spot with natural lighting – just before the sun hit my back porch and patio yesterday morning. No filters/processing needed for this batch! This is all a very rare accomplishment for me!
Echinacea purpurea, Gaillardia, Rudbeckia hirta, Allium sphaerocephalon are tempered by white Echinacea and Queen Anne’s Lace – Daucus carota.
My Ikebana vase this week has some of the same flowers, plus a few others. The design is a bit weird, I now realize.
On the kitchen window ledge, and outside on the patio. Allium carinatum (Keeled Garlic), Linaria vulgaris (common Toadflax), join a few small blooms of Gaillardia (Blanket flower), Allium sphaerocephalon (Drumstick Allium) and Rudbeckia hirta (Gloriosa daisy).
I used to have a lot of Toadflax, but it peters out as other perennials grow and spread. Plus, I must admit, in years gone by I pulled a lot, thinking it to be to invasive. It’s not, really, compared to a lot of other non native ‘weeds’ growing around here. The Rudbeckia popped up by itself last ear, in the gravel at the side of the driveway. I thought it was a version of the Gaillardia I had sown all over, but was corrected this week when a Twitterer said it was Rudbeckia. I was doubtful, given how sturdy it is, not at all affected by how dry it’s been this summer, which has left all the other Rudbeckia I have shriveled and begging for water. But it was confirmed by a few others. Gloriosa Diasy – Rudbeckia hirta – a type of Black-eyes Susan, it is.
Summer in a vase! Your images are very good. Finding good light helps a lot, doesn’t it? Practicing photography is another benefit of our weekly vases!
The lighting in your photos is perfect Chris! Unless it comes naturally, I think photography is something that takes years of practice. At least in my case. I’ve been trying for 10 years, and have made it my dying goal to accomplish. Using a camera in manual mode is certainly not intuitive for me. But I keep trying, and I think that’s the best we can do. The effort does show over time, and maybe more noticed by looking back at old photos. Anyways, one great picture is worth a 1000 words and the lovely lighting on your rudbeckia and echinacea is lovely. Mine are blooming much earlier this year too. Do you think it is the excessive heat? I’ve noticed my fall sedums are already in bud, some on the verge of blooming. They don’t usually bloom until August and September, so I know they are early.
It is hard to keep everything happy and watered in this heat. I just looked at the forecast and it is the same for the next 2 weeks. I hope you are at least lucky enough to be getting some rain. We had an 80% chance of rain yesterday, and it went around my house and didn’t even wet the pavement 😦
Rain is often forecast, and just as often fails to materialize. We were lucky Saturday night! But you’re so right about learning lighting and photography in general. I learn, then I forget, then I learn again… I still can’t get all the controls right – I yearn for one of those new fangled mirrorless cameras, with the retro look, that have all the knobs on the top, just like my first SLR had in the 80’s. And yes, the Sedum! Mine too! Seems about to burst into bloom, not even halfway thru July!!
Your Rudbeckia hirta is a native down here. It may not adore hot and dry, but it will thrive in hot and dry. We have some native toadflax, too, that’s a pretty lavender, and oodles of Gaillardia. This could be a Texas bouquet!
Well done with your photography Chris – you are right to congratulate yourself!! I gave up trying to photograph inside partly from lack of suitable backgrounds but mostly because of the light. Your ‘daisies’ look glorious and certainly suggest high summer, which is what you seem to be having at the moment – thanks for sharing them
Well, I killed the Rudbeckia hirta, I think it molded. So annoying. Love the pictures, the background color is wonderful with the flowers and great capture of light. Photography just seems simple.
We are fine, live in the sticks. Staying away from people as much as possible. The major cities have the biggest problem, though there is a lot of foot dragging about wearing masks and closing bars. The bar down the street is frequently shoulder to shoulder with people. Foolish and many believe the whole thing is a hoax!
Nicely done on all counts! I just received 3 Rudbeckia I ordered by mail but I’m waiting for our temperature to come down before I plant. I had one like yours, called a ‘Denver Daisy’ here, last year and it was a very tough plant. I should have held onto them last winter but they got evicted as there was no room in my cutting garden for them when I was planting my cool season flowers.
Wow, your summer seems to have arrived so quickly after your late spring! My Echinacea are only just opening. Very pretty pictures Chris. I love that garlic flower in the ikebana vase. 😃
County Gardening 
Summer in a vase! Your images are very good. Finding good light helps a lot, doesn’t it? Practicing photography is another benefit of our weekly vases!
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Absolutely! I tried a new hand held light for the indoor one this week….
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The lighting in your photos is perfect Chris! Unless it comes naturally, I think photography is something that takes years of practice. At least in my case. I’ve been trying for 10 years, and have made it my dying goal to accomplish. Using a camera in manual mode is certainly not intuitive for me. But I keep trying, and I think that’s the best we can do. The effort does show over time, and maybe more noticed by looking back at old photos. Anyways, one great picture is worth a 1000 words and the lovely lighting on your rudbeckia and echinacea is lovely. Mine are blooming much earlier this year too. Do you think it is the excessive heat? I’ve noticed my fall sedums are already in bud, some on the verge of blooming. They don’t usually bloom until August and September, so I know they are early.
It is hard to keep everything happy and watered in this heat. I just looked at the forecast and it is the same for the next 2 weeks. I hope you are at least lucky enough to be getting some rain. We had an 80% chance of rain yesterday, and it went around my house and didn’t even wet the pavement 😦
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Rain is often forecast, and just as often fails to materialize. We were lucky Saturday night! But you’re so right about learning lighting and photography in general. I learn, then I forget, then I learn again… I still can’t get all the controls right – I yearn for one of those new fangled mirrorless cameras, with the retro look, that have all the knobs on the top, just like my first SLR had in the 80’s. And yes, the Sedum! Mine too! Seems about to burst into bloom, not even halfway thru July!!
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Your Rudbeckia hirta is a native down here. It may not adore hot and dry, but it will thrive in hot and dry. We have some native toadflax, too, that’s a pretty lavender, and oodles of Gaillardia. This could be a Texas bouquet!
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😄 Thriving it is! Texas north, perhaps!!
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Well done with your photography Chris – you are right to congratulate yourself!! I gave up trying to photograph inside partly from lack of suitable backgrounds but mostly because of the light. Your ‘daisies’ look glorious and certainly suggest high summer, which is what you seem to be having at the moment – thanks for sharing them
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Thank you Cathy – yes, high summer it is!
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Well, I killed the Rudbeckia hirta, I think it molded. So annoying. Love the pictures, the background color is wonderful with the flowers and great capture of light. Photography just seems simple.
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Thank you! How are you holding up down there? The news we get is mainly doom and gloom….
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We are fine, live in the sticks. Staying away from people as much as possible. The major cities have the biggest problem, though there is a lot of foot dragging about wearing masks and closing bars. The bar down the street is frequently shoulder to shoulder with people. Foolish and many believe the whole thing is a hoax!
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I’m just shaking my head in sadness, disbelief and puzzlement….so glad you’re OK – another benefit of rural life!
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Same here, inexplicable and unfortunately has deadly consequences. I just heard from my nephew in Houston and he is seeing the same thing.
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Nicely done on all counts! I just received 3 Rudbeckia I ordered by mail but I’m waiting for our temperature to come down before I plant. I had one like yours, called a ‘Denver Daisy’ here, last year and it was a very tough plant. I should have held onto them last winter but they got evicted as there was no room in my cutting garden for them when I was planting my cool season flowers.
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I’m so amazed that a) it can not just survive, but thrive where it is, and b) came back a second year! AND the rabbits ignore it!!!!!
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Wow, your summer seems to have arrived so quickly after your late spring! My Echinacea are only just opening. Very pretty pictures Chris. I love that garlic flower in the ikebana vase. 😃
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Thanks Cathy – yes, summer often arrives with little warning! It’s hotter and dryer this year than most, as well…some people like that, I guess…😄
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Ha! Carrot top!
(Queen Anne’s lace on top of the picture at the top is also known as wild carrot.)
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Yes, here too…the root certainly looks like a carrot (albeit white) and smells like a carrot.
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It looks like a carrot and smells like a carrot because it is a carrot . . . but can be toxic.
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