From top clockwise: Limona, Lemon-Lime, Queen of Hearts, Minerva, and Exotica.
{{gwi:376867}}
Sorry I put it with the wrong photo before. Pasted in the wrong spot!
K

Oh my, those are beautiful!! I am drooling over the queen of hearts!

Wonderful photos, Kristi! The gang is arranged perfectly! They're so lovely... and the colors... oh, my! I'm so envious of everyone... I had a huge amount of blooms last year, and this one is tiny in comparison...

I do see the pixie dust! Don't you love that?! Like it was sprinkled by tiny little sparkly fairies! :-)

The color of the anthers and the other parts is always intriguing to me... some match the petal colors, and others are in contrast... really cool!

Thanks for sharing!

The purple on the outside of the pollen sacs before they invert is supposedly "special". I've seen Pixie dust, but never photographed it before. That was a trick to get the lighting just right!
K

Stunning, just stunning photography, Kristi! Thanks.

Wow, Kristy! I feel as if I can reach out and touch your Q of H.

I love all your photos!!! More please.

Cheers,

Blanca

Thanks Blanca. Coming from you that is a HUGE compliment. This is really the first season that I've taken photographing these blooms seriously. Ryan taught me more about my camera's functions than I knew existed. (Was it Jodi who said that the camera manuals are the size of small novels?)

I hope I can improve with the coming blooms. Digital media makes it some much easier than film!

Thanks again!
Kristi

It might have been me... camera manuals are not only thick, they're impossible to understand! And, they're about as exciting as reading the phone book! In other words... I just ask Larry to set up and explain the camera to me in simple terms... so I can point and shoot!

Digital media is a lot quicker and simpler... once you get the hang of all the bells and whistles on your camera. Ours is older, but still takes nice pictures. I can dump the card easily, right through a slot in my printer! A few clicks in Photoshop, and voila!

Again... very nice photography, Kristi... the more you shoot, the better you get! :-)

Exotica is showing strong in your photo there,Kristi I have one thats new and still sleeping.It could be a new favorite for me.Every Exotica bloom I have seen is similar but very different in shape and colors.Fascinating cultivar you think?Great job stacking those Hipp "faces" in the gang pic.I bought a new Fuji camera today to replace a 6 yr old camera that crapped out on me.I'm looking forward to trying it out on future blooms.Pretty wild how much less a good digital camera costs today compared to 6 yrs ago.I am quietly admiring your blooms and pix.Thanks for sharing Peace,Mark

I should have taken a photo that showed their "feet" as well as their faces. They were stacked on a variety of cans to get each at just the right level!

I love Exotica. I was supposed to have her last year, but she was a mislabled Faro or ???. So, the company replaced her with 2 huge bulbs this year. Each has put out 3 scapes. One bloom was a siamese twin...interesting! I love the color and I am finding that with each scape it's a little different than the previous one.

Enjoy your camera. I had to buy my current one in Sitka, Alaska as my prior "film" camera fritzed out after taking photos of glaciers in the mist the day before. I guess I didn't realize how much mist it got exposed to. There were only 6 cameras to choose from. (I went to a store that was well off the beated path) and the man was very nice and helped me chose a Cannon.) Turns out I only paid $6 more than what our local WM would have charged, so I was pleased that I didn't get ripped off. In the 4 years with this camera, it has developed 1 red pixel....I can usually hide it when I take the photo, but if I don't, there's always 1 tiny red dot in the photo.

More photos to come as Carmen is blooming and Jewel and ??VERA?? are getting ready to. The bud looks much more colored on the Vera (than the other Vera bulb turned out to be Apple Blossom) so I am hopeful that this on is correct!

:-) Coffee pleeze...sore throat...uugh!
K

LOVELY!
Susan

Speaking of sore throats... I woke up yesterday with a sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fever... in addition to the regular pain I wake up to every day! I hope this isn't the flu! I feel a little better today, so maybe it was a false alarm.

I like to see the bulbs in pots part, as well as the flowers... the whole plant is interesting to me. With all the different scape heights, I'd imagine you'd have to set them up on pedestals to get them all in the shot! Soup cans or canned vegetables work as good as anything else! Good thinking, Kristi!

We're still limping along with the Polaroid digital we've had for the past 6 or 7 years, or more... it works just fine. My only complaint is that it doesn't take good shots when there's movement, but that could be due to the operator! I'm certainly no pro with this thing!

Can't wait to see Jewel in action! I love that one! I don't have one yet, but it's a variety I plan to get next season, for certain! I didn't care for it overly much when I first saw it in pictures online, but it's grown on me in the past two years... to the point where I must have one!

I've got a fresh pot of Folgers on... I'd send you a huge mug full through the computer, if that were possible! Cream and sugar? (__)0 My rendition of a coffee mug!

Kristi, how about a mug of Minglement's Artist Blend, roasted and blended locally. I will try to get it to you piping hot when you wake up in the morning...sorry I can not stay up and make it tonight but I am off to bed!

Kristi and Jodi, please take extra care with your sore throats.

The vicious bug that knocked me on my butt and left me with a squeak instead of a voice may have reached your areas.

My Q of H is continuing to explode with blooms.

I hope that she will help speed your healing.

Best,

Blanca

{{gwi:376870}}

That sounds really good, Lizalily! We go through so much coffee, it wouldn't pay to get anything special or exotic... though, I do like to try different coffees from time to time, and buy the small, one pot envelopes for myself, in different flavors. Larry is a die hard Folgers fan, so that's what we normally have.

I still have the chills, but my throat feels a little better. I'm hoping it's a false alarm... I hate being sick!

Wow, Blanca! Those blooms look good enough eat! The first things that come to mind are cotton candy and frilly romance colors! What a gorgeous pink! I'm afraid my wish list has expanded into a wish book! I've added Queen of Hearts to those bulbs I must get next year because I can't live without them!

Outstanding photography, Blanca... thanks for sharing!

Thanks for all the wishes. I've been flat all weekend EXCEPT to plant 100 daffodils and 100 tulips. Then, back in PJs. Hot coffee does sound good. I've been doing the juicy and bubbly stuff to clear my throat.

Today it's just gone to an out and out head cold. Sneeze, sniff (lots of tissue around) and less cough. I am one of the few people who stays home from work when they are ill, but tomorrow might be one of those legit sick days!
K

Jodi, Thank you very much. The big voluptuous blooms are not usually my thing, but Q of H is a special case. Take good care of that throat girlfriend.

Kristi, I admire you fortitude! How did you manage to plant all those bulbs while you were ill?

Best,

Blanca

The urge to garden is stronger than any illness or injury! I know! I've been known to garden while feeling absolutely horrible, either from Lupus symptoms, my earlier injuries, and I can't allow a cold to stop me from enjoying the sunshine and great outdoors... although, I do cheat! I have been known to take a painkiller so the bones and joints don't feel so bad!

When you've got bulbs waiting to be planted, you muddle through! It's one of the symptoms of Gardening Addiction, and of CHAD!

Feel better, Kristi! :-)

Oh my, still plantng winter bulbs! Our climates ARE different! And I have planted bulbs through the most amazing ailments because they have to get in the ground when they need it, not necesarily when I can do it! I don't know that it ever made me any sicker to do it, as long as it was not something that hated the bending over like back problems or sinus infection. My most memorable bulb planting was during a pouring rain at 40 degrees..but I worked hard enough to keep warm and wore my new ALaska fisherman's raincoat.

I hope you are feeling better today, all with colds and fevers and stuffy heads! Do you need more coffee tomorrow morning too?

Sorry I was late with the coffee this morning, I did not wake up until 9:30!

I did awake to wonderful sunshine and ground so frosty it looked like snow! For days and days we have been under an ugly grey inversion with cold air and smog so thick the sun could not get through. It was fabulous today to just be out in the sun! I went out and challenged my sore hands with a pr of light weight clippers...cut stalks on some perennials, cleaned up old asparagus foliage and dead beanstalks, and picked some pussywillows. The little clippers worked in my hands because they did not press against the sore bones. I made sure not to work too long and feel so much better for being out and getting some rays!

Last night, as we were on our way home from shopping for supplies, it began to snow... again! I think we must have gotten another couple of inches.

The water is frozen up in the kennel... again! We had kept it trickling, but one of the outdoor cats sneaked in and must have knocked against the faucet while chasing mice. I've got a heat lamp on the pipes under the building again, and I'm hopeful it's thawed today! You have no idea what a kennel without water smells like! Yikes! I can scrape the mess away, but without soap and water... well... I'm sure you all get the picture! Luckily, I keep several large pails filled in case of an emergency... for drinking water. I really hope the problem is thawed by this morning!

How do you feel today, Kristi? I hope you got some Nyquil, or something similar... I need my rest when I'm sick, and that stuff does the trick, every time! Not the most pleasant tasting stuff, but it does help with cold and flu symptoms!

I find copious amounts of hot coffee will also help with congestion... the temperature, combined with the caffeine, helps loosen congestion, and also helps with constricted blood flow to the vessels in the lungs, and the brain for headaches... not to mention its power to wake you up! Amazing what a nice, hot cuppa joe will do for you!

\_/D Here's your cup of strong Folgers, Kristi! Different style of mug! :-)

Anyway... year before last, I was out in the garden in December planting Daffodil, Muscari, and Winter Aconite bulbs... they had to go in! The ground was frozen, but I only had to break through about an inch or two of frost. I got them in as quickly as possible! Psyche had gone a little overboard in buying... and we had a late order come in from Colorblends. I don't think she realized how many bulbs she had ordered, and since I usually do the planting, she didn't think about the time frame. Luckily, we had a mild winter that year!

I hope everyone who is sick with colds or flu feels better! :-)

Making my coffee now Lizalily. (_)0 Here's your cup. We women of CHAD are built tough. I had to plant the bulbs for mid-Feb/early-March blooms!
;-)
Kristi

Well, tonight I'm feeling much better. That's what 3 days in bed will do for you. I will drug myself up after I get to the office if needed. Definitely will stop by the store and by some tissue with lotion. My poor nose!!

Thanks for all the thoughts and coffee. I hate being sick and get restless when I am forced to rest. Sort of defeats the purpose!

Night!
Kristi

I'm glad you're finally feeling better, Kristi! I've been lucky this past year... I haven't been as sick with colds or flu as in previous years. For me, it's the echinacea I take to help boost my immune system.

Your poor nose... I know how that feels, all red and raw...
I should have thought to mention it sooner... but good old fashioned Vicks VapoRub is a lifesaver for chest colds! For generations, my family has used it... rubbed vigorously into the throat and chest, it soothes the throat and sinuses, and helps break up congestion, almost overnight!

Anyway... I'm just glad you're feeling better, and I'm also glad that my sore throat and other flu symptoms never really caught hold! Whew! Morning coffee, anyone? (_)0