Elegant and vibrant, Blue iris (Iris spuria) is a perennial iris known for its tall stature and stunning blooms, making it a captivating addition to any garden. Each plant can have multiple flower stalks, and each stalk generally bears 3 to 4 buds.
Blue Iris with Bud
Blue Iris
The Yoshino cherry tree (also known as Somei-Yoshino in Japan) is a popular, widely planted hybrid cherry tree known for its profuse, white-pink blossoms that bloom in spring
Yoshino Cherry Blossoms
Japanese Camellia bloom color ranges from white to all shades of pink and red. The flower size ranges from a 2-inch diameter up to 5 inches. Here is a close-up of the flower.
Japanese Camellia
Hiding Japanese Camellia
Passiflora, or passion flower, is a genus of more than 550 species in the Passifloraceae family. The genus contains vines, lianas, shrubs, and trees and is predominantly distributed throughout Mexico, Central, and South America, with a few species endemic to Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Here are images of a passion flower blooming at the Ark – from bud to flower
Passion Flower Bud at the Ark
Passion Flower Ready to Bloom at the Ark
Passion Flower at the Ark
Two sunflowers have already bloomed, while one is lagging.
Two Sunflowers Bloomed while One Waiting
The reproductive phase of a sunflower begins in June and ends in July or August, and the blooming phase lasts around 20 days. You can tell the seeds are ripening when the back of the sunflower head turns yellow. The bud may initially have a star-like appearance, but once the reproductive phase is complete, you’ll see your bud transform into the tall-stemmed, yellow-bloomed plant you know so well.
Sunflower Yet to Bloom
Sunflower Waiting to Bloom
Sunflower Almost Ready to Bloom
When we were in Raleigh in July, we got the opportunity to visit a sunflower field. will be posting images from there.
First planted by the City of Raleigh’s public utilities department in 2010, a beautiful five-acre batch of sunflowers blooms yearly in July at Dorothea Dix Park, where approximately 100,000 seeds were planted in early May. The sunflowers serve a purpose beyond just acting as a photography hot-spot—for a number of years the City of Raleigh would harvest the sunflowers to create thousands of gallons of biodiesel, which was then processed into fuel to run tractors, trailers and farm equipment. Now the flowers are left to be excellent pollinators for birds and other wildlife.
Dix Park Sunflowers
Field of Sunflowers
Sunflowers on a Field
These small buds bloom into vibrant colored flowers of yellow, magenta, red, or orange, and then eventually the bloom gives way to the prickly pear fruit, also known as a tuna. Prickly pear cacti are predominately known for their edible pads and fruit, but the buds have remained relatively unknown as a consumable item.
Prickly Pear Buds
The desert rose bonsai (Adenium obesum) is known for its bright, colorful blooms in the springtime. They do have dark green glossy leaves and do look very good when not in bloom.
Adenium Obesum Bonsai
This is a large fruiting Pyracantha. It is an Asian evergreen with small, bright green leaves and clusters of brilliant red berries that are bitter when raw but can be cooked into delicious jams, jellies, and marmalades. The Pyracantha blooms in April with starry-white flowers and berries from September through December. These Bonsai love sunlight.
Pyracantha Bonsai
We end the series of images from J C Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, North Carolina with a photo of Pink Crinum Lily. This vigorous hybrid Crinum lily is perennial, blooming in summer with large, fragrant lily shaped flowers.
Pink Crinum Lily
Japanese anemones, also known as windflowers, add a timeless grace to any late-summer or fall garden with their beautiful, nodding blooms on long, wiry stems. The foliage isn’t particularly interesting, but the flowers fill the midsummer-to-fall gap in gardens, appearing when few other perennials bloom. These perennials come in many shades of whites and pinks, with petals ranging from single rows to frilly doubles.
Japanese Anemone
White Japanese Anemone
Although this magenta plumeria has lost the leaves on the branches, the blooming flowers still create beauty.
The Tradescantia Nanouk is an absolutely gorgeous plant with amazing bright green and purple/pink, slightly fuzzy leaves. While primarily prized for their foliage, you may be lucky enough to spot blooms on your Tradescantia Nanouk. Small star-shaped pink and white flowers may appear from mid-summer to early fall. Captured one at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden.
The William H. Williamson, III, Orchid Conservatory at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden features a waterfall with showy blooming orchids and tropical plants against a backdrop of rock designs.
Also known as marsh rosemary and lavender thrift, sea lavender is a perennial coastal plant that can often be found growing in both salt marshes and along coastal sand dunes. Despite its name, it is not actually related to the lavender plant. The plant creates leathery, spoon-shaped leaves, red-tinted stems, and delicate purple blooms that appear in summer. Found these flowers in Santa Monica, California.
Lily of the Nile, with Latin name Agapanthus (African Lily), is a marvelous perennial that blooms from spring to summer, producing magnificent floral-scapes. The flowers are funnel-shaped and typically blue, purple, or white in color; the clusters are borne on long stalks. Found these in Santa Monica, California.
Ivy Geranium (Pelargonium peltatum) unfurls leaves that resemble ivy. The leaves are quite eye-catching and have a bright green hue. Ivy leaf geranium blooms have semi-double flowers in colors from white to red, and most pastels in every color except blue and yellow.
Mountain Hydrangea lives up to its name. It shares the showy blooms and beautiful pink or purple color of big-leaf hydrangeas, but because it grows wild on the chilly mountain tops instead of the mild seaside, it naturally developed substantially better cold tolerance. The sturdy lacecap blooms will be bright pink or deep purple-blue, depending on your soil pH, and the handsome dark green foliage resists wilting. Found these in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.
The blooms of Bougainvillea aren’t actually blooms at all. The showy paper-like structures are a modified leaf called a bract. These bracts hide the actual flowers inside, which are small and trumpet-shaped in whites and yellows. The showy bracts are typically found on new growth, with the showiest display following their winter dormancy. Captured in Santa Monica, California.
