My “Other” Hobby – Flower Garden Pictures

I love looking at flower garden pictures, flower bouquet photos, and photos of lush hanging baskets. In the middle of winter, looking at magazines and books filled with spring and summer flowers seems like a vacation from the gray, cold weather.

I am not a professional photographer, and I’m not a professional gardener. In fact, my camera cost less than $200, and I often like the weeds in my gardens as much as I like my flowers. Sometimes, I just use my iPhone, but I have always loved to take pictures of flowers and nature.

Gerber Daisies

Orange Gerber Daisies

Some girls like roses, but my favorite flowers are Gerber Daisies. They are so bright and cheery. These orange ones are on my front step. They are a little finicky and require alot of water, but they are well worth the effort!  Gerber daisies always give me a run for my money.  They start off beautiful, but seem to fizzle out.  If you don’t give them enough water, the buds will quickly dry up and fall off.  They come in gorgeous colors with large blooms.  There is also a gigantic variety that has variegated colors.

Butterfly Bush

Swallowtail Butterfly on Purple Butterfly Bush

Having butterfly bushes in the garden makes for lots of opportunities to take pictures of beautiful flowers and butterflies. Swallowtails are the most popular butterflies that my bushes attract, but I have also had monarchs and some smaller skippers.

Butterfly bushes or buddleia dies back each winter.  In early spring, the plant will sprout green shoots.  I cut them back every spring so that the bushes keep a nice shape and fill in nicely.  Purple is my favorite, but they also come in white.

Asiatic Lily Flower Garden Picture

Yellow Asiatic Lilies

These bright yellow lilies provide a pop of color in late spring. They grow from bulbs, and come in lots of different colors. They are very easy to grow for such a beautiful flower. After they get established, they are very showy in the garden and multiply quickly.  The blooms are large with dotted petals and long stamens in the center.  They come in a rainbow of colors.  The short spiky foliage is an added bonus.

Dianthus and Dusty Miller

The silver of the dusty miller compliments the pinks and reds of dianthus.

This combination of dusty miller and pinks are planted in a wine crate. I planted both of them last year, and they survived the winter. The pinks will stop blooming when it gets hot, but the dusty miller thrive all summer.  Pinks come in every color of the rainbow.  There are tall and short varieties and don’t require much care.

The pinks are very hardy and often survive the winters and bloom again the following year, with the plants getting bigger and spreading each year. They bloom heavily in the spring, then sporadically during the summer.

Hanging Basket

Hanging Basket with hot pink geranium, white petunias, and pink verbena

The combination of petunias, light pink verbena, and bright pink geraniums will bloom all summer as long as I water it every day. I pick the dead flowers off every day so that new buds will form.  These flowers prefer full sun.  I find that the basket dries out quickly and try to water it twice a day.

Flower Gardening Tip

It seems natural to want to plant flowers on a hot, sunny day, but the sun and heat take their toll on new plants.

Greenhouse plants often need time to adjust to the temperature changes. Start by leaving them outside for a few hours at a time and bringing them in at night.

 

Purple Coneflowers

I know you don’t want beetles in your garden, but I like cucumber beetles. I think they are a really pretty color! I’m sure he didn’t eat much.

Purple Coneflowers are very hardy perennials that spread very quickly.   If you know someone who has plants in their yard, you can collect the seeds in fall to plant in the spring.  Plants won’t bloom the first year and it is easier to buy plants that are already established.  They attract beautiful moths and butterflies to my yard. When the flowers go to seed, the finches love them! Learn more about these wonderful flowers by visiting Growing Purple Coneflowers.  Coneflowers are available in white and a beautiful peach/salmon color too.

Marigolds

Yellow Marigolds

Marigolds are a common annual in Maryland. They come in shades of orange and yellow including mixed colors. There are taller varieties as well as shorter varieties. They are suitable for planting in the ground or in containers. They love the full sun and can tolerate poor soil. They have a funny smell which some people claim will keep pests out of the garden. I don’t know if it works, but if not, they sure do look pretty lined up next to tomatoes.

In my opinion, marigolds are the easiest annual to grow.  Keep them watered until they are established, and they will bloom profusely all summer long.  Even during hot dry weather, they will thrive with an occasion watering.

Miracle Grow Potting Soil

I use Miracle Grow Potting Soil for all of my containers. It holds moisture nicely, and has fertilizer in it that will feed the flowers all season long.  I see a noticeable difference in the size and health of the plants and the amount of flowers when I use this potting soil.  It’s definitely worth the extra money.

Yellow Finches

The bright golden yellow of these finches always brightens any day!

Flower garden photos wouldn’t be complete without pictures of birds. I love my yellow finches. The plants around these feeders are Money Plants or Honesty. They are almost done blooming, but they were gorgeous 2 weeks before this flower garden picture was taken.

Money Plant seeds are round and about the size of a silver dollar, giving it its name. As the summer begins, the seed pods turn brown and papery, and you will see the black seeds inside. As they continue to dry, the seeds will drop out of the pods. They are prolific reseeders and you will have them all over your yard in no time. The dried stalks are often used in flower arrangements and spray painted for wreaths and decorations.

Sign up for my newsletter!

Sign Up Now

For Email Marketing you can trust.