12-Feb-2020
Birthday Bouquet 2020
From our son who lives in San Francisco... each year he spoils me with a huge bunch
of flowers... this year, roses! Yesterday as we sat down for our lunch at the
Wirra Wirra winery, Southern Vales this huge bunch was put on our table, he then phoned
us and we all had a chat over the phone. Although he's been living in the states for
20 years now, he loves to feel that he's still part of the family when we have
special occasions like birthday etc. Back in the year 1990 he shared in the
choosing of roses and the original planting as he was studying for his Matric exams.
After a stint in Uni here in Adelaide he won 2 scholarships, one which took him to
Stanford where he spent a year qualifying - he then returned home and spent a year
off study and joined a couple of orchestras to earn money.. then moved to Sydney
where he was head-hunted for Microsoft. The rest is history.
05-Jul-2019
Winter Bouquet
These bouquets are great value, they last in the vase for weeks, so handy when there's nothing much in flower in our garden apart from acacia..
26-Mar-2019
Arrangement of Proteas
We buy a bunch of Southern Hemisphere native (wild) flowers during the time when we
have nothing in flower at home. They are good value and last for weeks in a vase.
27-Feb-2019
Hospital Bouquets - 4
The last one of this series. Actually this one is a posy, and my sister-in-law picked the flowers from her own garden to bring in to me in hospital.
Very kind, as there aren't too many flowers in gardens at this time of the year while the temperature has been lingering in the high 30's and low 40's.
The little posy is lasting well since we arrived home last Tuesday.
23-Feb-2019
Hospital Bouquet - 3
This one from our son who lives in San Francisco was the 3rd bouquet to arrive.
All the nurses loved this one.. it was a very generous array of blooms in lovely
colouring, and is still lasting well now we have it home with us.
Thank you for all your welcomed comments I am enjoying reading them all and will eventually have enough stamina to make some return comments.
I am taking each day as it comes.
23-Feb-2019
Hospital Bouquet - 2
This was the 2nd to arrive from my sister who lives in the country... it certainly
brightened up my day!
Thank you for all the kind wishes - I am taking each day as it comes and resting a lot.
It was a very big procedure I had done and we had some very good news when the pathology
report came back!
23-Feb-2019
Hospital Bouquets - 1
A short series of photos of hospital bouquets, this is the first of four
and our 3rd daughter Britt brought these in to the hospital for me, the first
to arrive... some beautiful delicate pink roses with a touch of green. I am now
home and will be back on deck again, though not jumping out of my skin yet.
So glad you liked the fuchsias, thanks so much for your support! Von.
12-FEB-2019
Birthday Bouquet 2019
Especially from our son in San Francisco to celebrate my 81st birthday.
04-NOV-2018
A bouquet of lemon & apricot toned roses
I wandered around the rose garden looking for roses in the yellow tones and
made a large bunch as a centrepiece for some guests we had to lunch yesterday.
The two main roses in this group are the Crown Princess Margarita and Elina
but the bunch featured many more, e.g., Golden Holstein, Helmet Schmidt (both yellow)
and others.
24-FEB-2018
Orchids from the Bouquet
My birthday bouquet (nee next) is finished, but the orchids are
still looking good. These are also the nearest in colouring
to "White Maman Cochet" a rose that Coleen really likes, so I'd
like to Wish Coleen a Happy Birthday for Tuesday!
11-FEB-2018
Birthday Bouquet
Still going - well some of the flowers are - given to me during
my birthday celebrations on the 11th February.
We are entertaining my son and his partner tonight, they fly home tomorrow, I may not have a chance to comment on your images.
09-JAN-2018
Bouquet of Wildflowers
We often buy a bunch of these at this time of year
when our roses are in the summer hibernation. These
blooms are grown locally where there is sandy soil.
Many are from South Africa and Western Australia, both
do well in our climate. They are long lasting in a vase
and good value at A$9 a bunch.
[I haven't managed to corner the son-inlaw to fix up my computer, so still can only download from my Lumix]
17-JUL-2017
Birthday bouquet
Not for me, but a friend who was celebrating his 80th
birthday on the weekend. All the tables were decorated
with these flowers and I was asked, with many others, to
take home the arrangement after the celebration. So
lovely to see flowers in mid winter I was very appreciative of their offer!
11-FEB-2017
The Centrepiece
My favourite in this bouquet
See the next two images for more of the bouquet
11-FEB-2017
Various Proteaceae
From the bouquet of wildflowers from the southern hemisphere
11-FEB-2017
Southern wildflower bouquet
Wildflowers from the southern hemisphere in a bouquet
they last for absolutely ages in a vase, excellent value!
11-FEB-2017
Glowing Embers
Catching the sunlight on the roses when they were fresh, unfortunately they
never lasted the whole week. I have no idea of their name, but to me
they looked like glowing embers when the rays of the sun shone on them.
11-FEB-2017
Birthday Bouquet 2017
Sorry Ev if you're watching today... (he doesn't like orange roses)
but I had to take a few photos while the roses were fresh. Dick
remembered that my birthday is tomorrow and arrived home from the shops
with this new bouquet! There are 10 of these surrounded by those
tiny white blooms... AND the cool change arrived during the night
we have had a delightfully mild day, good for being outside again!
Plenty of my garden roses are shriveled and burnt, but they'll
recover. Some little fairy wrens accompanied me in the gazebo
when I enjoyed an iced coffee - sorry no photos of them, they're far
too spritely for me!
THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE HB WISHES, MUCH APPRECIATED!
11-JAN-2017
Anniversary roses
A bit like "coal to Newcastle" a saying we have in Australia
giving me roses when we have 500+ growing in the garden.. nevertheless
it was a special gift & much appreciated. Friends of ours
celebrated their 53rd anniversary yesterday, and he gave his
wife a dozen red (scentless) roses. Unfortunately florist
roses usually are scentless, and one always hope red roses
to be full of fragrance.
11-JAN-2017
King Protea
Proteas are grown not far from where we live, they like sandy soil
and there is an abundance of sandy soil south-west on the way
to the wine growing area called the Southern Vales. One of our
close neighbours has a protea business and they used to have
a bench with bunches of proteas for sale, but we bought these
on the way back from our wedding anniversary luncheon, just 3
stems to fill the heaviest vase we have in the house.
10-MAY-2016
Mother's Day Bouquet 2016
Dick surprised me with this bunch of red roses, and they have
a slight fragrance, often the cut flowers are scent-less.
This is a couple of days late, it has been too dark and stormy
to take a photo before this, the dark red didn't help.
13-FEB-2016
Mountain Lily
Lilium auratum from Japan is a popular lily grown and exported to all parts of the world.. apparently someone local has the gift of
how to grow them well, they are in supermarkets sold in bunches
and Dick bought a couple of bunches of these and some matching
long-stemmed carnations as part of my birthday present yesterday.
Unfortunately they have a very strong scent when they open and
they usually get moved into a room and the door is shut as neither of us can stand the scent for very long. I love
the colours of this particular species, perhaps I should try
growing some and enjoy them in the garden instead of a vase!
PS.. thank you for all your kind birthday wishes, much appreciated! Von
.....
07-SEP-2015
Leucospermum
From South Africa & belonging to the proteaceae family, this flower is related to the Australian Banksia and has similarities.
Don, let me know if I'm wrong...
24-AUG-2015
Portrait of an arrangement
24-AUG-2015
Flower Arrangement
One of many arrangements that took my eye while waiting for Dick to have
an eye appointment recently.
Best in original format
11-AUG-2015
Lily
The fortnightly sequence of lilies I buy
to have some colour in the house
throughout winter.
11-AUG-2015
Lily
The fortnightly sequence of lilies I buy
to have some colour in the house
throughout winter.
16-MAY-2015
In the Pink
A nice mix of lilies and chrysanthemums, but this photo mainly features the lilies.
16-MAY-2015
Chrysanthemums
Close up from a different angle
09-MAY-2015
Lily bouquet on black
Same bouquet featured a couple of days ago.
09-MAY-2015
Bouquet close-up
Oriental Lilies and chrysanthemums from yesterday's image.
09-MAY-2015
Mostly lilies
They are so long-lived in a vase but I have to buy these - haven't got these growing in the garden.
24-JAN-2015
Spray carnations
A couple of nice clusters of carnations in a vase with a fill-in of something blue.
05-DEC-2014
Godetia
A Christmassy bunch of godetia I picked up at the local florist
to add to some flowers picked from my garden, including
some Vanilla roses, a good picking rose as seen next.
05-NOV-2014
Pink this time...
Using a different texture on the lily.
Worth looking at in original format.
08-OCT-2014
Lilies
These eye-stoppers are in a vase, certainly is a bright colour for a lily eh!
31-AUG-2014
Two
So much luck with this pair of carnations, they have lasted 3 weeks in a vase!
04-AUG-2014
White princess lilies
Alstroemeria... such good keepers in a vase.
04-AUG-2014
Unfurling
Hopefully in a couple of months time I'll be able to pick my own roses again
the end is in sight in the pruning ritual - another day (if fine and no wind) should be enough
for me to finish that big job.
04-AUG-2014
Bright spot in winter
Not IN the garden yet, but we do have some indigenous plants in bloom (not seen in this image).
08-MAY-2011
Close up of iris
From a lovely bouquet of blue iris that were given to me for Mother's Day.
07-JAN-2007
Flower arrangement
Here is the entire flower arrangement
09-MAY-2011
Blue iris
My iris bouquet for Mother's Day 2011
30-MAY-2014
Southern mixture of wildflowers
Without the addition of filters
Here's a view that features a protea
08-MAY-2010
Mothers day flowers 2010
Dick turned up with a big bunch of chrysanthemums today
30-MAY-2014
Southern wildflower bouquet
Featuring a protea and some leucadendron
11-MAY-2009
Green chrysanthemums
Part of the Mother's Day bouquet 2009
07-JAN-2007
Carnation
The main flower in a flower arrangement that Dick gave me to celebrate
our 45th wedding anniversary. These are the very first flowers he's ever
bought and given to me for an anniversary so they are quite special
The "Yvonne" carnation is very similar to this bloom.
26-MAY-2007
Flowers from the Southern Hemisphere
A friend gave us a HUGE bunch of wildflowers that he grows himself, I thought I'd share part of the bunch with you. The main flower in this part of the bunch is a protea (from South Africa), the others are heathlike flowers (Aus), e.g., thryptomene & t-tree types. Many Australian wildflowers have tiny leaves, they can withstand extended periods of dry and will survive drought, though many have a short lifespan. So many set seed and pop up somewhere else & that's okay if you can quickly move them while they're still small. When you bring a big bunch indoors the scent is wonderful!
07-JAN-2007
Flower arrangement psd
and after I had a little play with psd
07-JAN-2007
Carnation
The side view of one of the carnation blooms
29-APR-2007
Gerberas
A bouquet of coral pink blooms - gerberas, tiger lilies etc. This
shot just focuses in on the gerberas.
23-AUG-2013
3 bunches of Daffodils
In a vase together, you can work out the different varieties if you look closely. :)
(best in original format if you have time)
Here's a sample of the muscari that are flowering in the rose garden right now.
and a close-up of some daffs
12-FEB-2013
Pink roses
For my birthday today
and linked to the February Challenge seen here
06-AUG-2013
Lily & Lilies
Something to cheer up a winter's day
11-MAY-2009
Yellow chrysanthemums
From my Mother's Day bouquet 2009
28-DEC-2012
Yellow lilies
A section of a bouquet featuring the lilies
Thanks to Pbasers who've wished me and my family a Happy New Year
the wish is much appreciated & reciprocated in return!
We are enjoying a very pleasant summer's day here, blue skies,
oodles of sunshine and not too hot yet and it is already January 1,
2013 mid-day as I post this image and we've changed all the calendars.
11-MAY-2009
Pink chrysanthemums
I partly desaturised this shot to tone down the pink.
From the Mother's Day bouquet.
27-APR-2007
Flowers for Britt
Our 3rd daughter who had a short stay in hospital - these are florist flowers
we organised for her.
26-DEC-2010
Lilium and chrysanthemum
A Christmas bouquet for a summery down-under
27-APR-2007
Rosebud
They all looked like this yesterday
07-JAN-2007
Yellow stattice
I'm not sure whether this yellow stattice is how it is naturally
or whether they are white ones dyed.
29-APR-2007
Yellow daisy and thryptomene
This illustrates just how tiny the thryptomene flowers are, seen here nestled in
amongst chrysanthemum daisies.
26-MAY-2007
A bunch of flowers from the Southern Hemisphere
A mixture of wildflowers from South Africa and Australia that came in a huge bunch given to us by a friend who only grows flowers from the southern hemisphere. We have some of these growing in our garden as well, though not enough for picking to make a huge bunch like the one we received.
27-APR-2007
Close up of an opening rose
Its a rose bred for the florist's trade, I have no idea of
the name. Luckily there's no scent, Britt had to remove other
flower arrangements because the scent gave her a headache in
the tiny hospital room.
29-APR-2007
Thryptomene
A popular filling flower with tiny leaves and flowers borne in small
clusters. This particular thryptomene is white, but the one we
grow in our garden is light pink. They are originally from the Grampians, Victoria.
07-JAN-2007
Blue Stattice
Blue stattice grows wild and self seeds at our place, though
this is a nicer one than ours.
11-MAY-2009
Chrysanthemums from a Mother's Day bouquet
The bouquet was made up mainly of chrysanthemums with
Geraldton Wax, carnation, leucodendron and one gerbera
& it was Dick who presented them to me on
Mother's Day 2009.
22-AUG-2013
Day for the Daffs
I came home from shopping with 3 bunches of daffs, here's just 3.
Another foggy rainy day, hence the slow shutter speed. I took the photo outside
to get as much light as possible, but unfortunately there was a slight breeze.
Here's a painted version.
29-APR-2007
Lily and chrysanthemum
These were in a large bouquet of yellow flowers.
13-FEB-2008
Special birthday bouquet
A huge flower arrangement arrived yesterday to help me celebrate my special birthday. Here's one tiny section of it.
27-APR-2007
Rosebud unfurling
Starting to show some colour