Well, I'm just loving all the pics on all the threads, thanks to all the posters!

Then, I take my camera eye out into my yards and suddenly realize that I have just as much wonder and beauty here, right under my nose! While I've got all the techno-toys required to film and post ..... I'm a slow study. Besides, I wouldn't want to show you all up ! (wink!)

Thanks for the pics - keep 'em coming!

Zigzag, let's see your stuff then! ;) These threads are for everyone to post on!! I finally got a digital camera in Jan. and have been bitten hard by the picture-taking bug. Besides, I figured a virtual garden tour was the easiest thing to do (no last-minute weeding, no worries about weather).

Here's some more.

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For those wanting to view the larger size pictures, but you have pop-up blockers, just right click on the photos and "Open in a new window". You can then see the photo in one window while writing about it here in the thread.

Beautiful scenes!

Cameorn

Tee hee ...... cameorn misspelled her name! :o)

Alicia, thanks for the throwdown challenge, might just make me figure out how to use all my toys! 'Bout time, if I do say so myself - I am such a techo-slug!

I do that all the time! Speed typing, no spell checker!

Cottage pinks:
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Japanese Maple:
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LOL ! Guess I gotta apply myself and get some pics posted. I honestly have more pictures of my yards/gardens than of my firstborn child - is that pathetic or what?? In my own defense, the early garden years are 35mm prints, not digital pics - floppy defense, huh?

I've read all of Cameron's helpful details and hints, here and on the Cottage Garden site, but like I said, I'm a real techno-slug! Heck, if I can get a pic into email, it's an accomplishment ...... techno-slug!

Gonna try harder ..... gonna try harder .... and if I get a brain freeze, I'll just have to take a break in the garden! Well, y'all know where to find me in any case!

:o)

No pressure but if you feel like it we'd love to see your pics. :) I've scanned 35mm photos onto here from before the digital camera and am currently experiencing a steep learning curve with posting pictures for the first time.

Last fall, I wrote up some instructions for the Cottage Garden Forum. Here is a link on how I use Picasa.

The gauntlet has been thrown down....let's SEE those gardens! :-)

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: Picasa Picturing Posting (say that fast)

Thanks, Cameron! I just asked that on the other thread.

Cameron the dianthus around the pool is lovely. Did you have the Chapel Hill grit (same as decomposed sandstone?) trucked in?

Yep, the CH grit was trucked in. It's more maintenance than I thought it would be as there are a number of weeds that will root in it. We take a square shovel and skim off the top layer, then a stiff rake to rake out the weeds, then rake it all back. My wonderful DH just did that for me last week!

Now...back to pix. I took more this afternoon.

Heuchera:
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Knock Out Roses budding:
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Dutch Iris:
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More lavender and dianthus:
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Cameron, the depth of color in your photos is SO VIBRANT! I absolutely love the water garden and that lemony-limey green Huechera is gorgeous!
I wandered around this evening taking some pics but I haven't pulled them off the camera yet. I also have to remember how to post them. It was only a few months ago that I finally got it figured out, but apparently I've already forgotten. (sigh)
Alicia, I love your iris and what a neat colored Salvia.
I'm off to see if I can get these pics posted.
Sandi

Wow; Photobucket has made some nice improvements. Unfortunately, once I posted them, I could not remember the next step(s). Can someone help?

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Bud of Iris "Dogrose"
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Bloom
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Karma Blue Butterfly Pansy
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Gem Lavender Antique Viola
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New Moon Iris
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Native Dogwood
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My Little China Girl - Isn't she the sweetest?
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I'm very proud of these Alaska Peas!
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Tulips gracing the bark of a Crepe Myrtle

Sandi, I especially like your last picture. Very nice!

Beautiful plants and flowers!
Brovo!

You guys are such cards. SO funny.

Cameron, I love your Heucheras. They have the most beautiful leaves. I have two new Heucheras this year: "Can Can" and "Quilter's Joy".

Enjoyed this so much.
Thanks ladies.

Annie
~ sweetannie4u

Dwarf Bearded Iris "Pippi Longstockings"
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Rosa rugosa alba
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Here are some more from yesterday

Knockout bud
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Fringe Tree
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Pink Knockout Bud
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The Pink Knockout is really coming into its own this spring. I love the original, but this one is a little easier to incorporate since it is not quite so....vibrant! THey both smell great.

BTW, to whomever asked earlier, I don't detect any fragrance on the Fringe Tree but it makes up for it in WOW-factor!

Meredith

Alicia, i love that little beardy- pippi longstocking! I need to go check and see if any of mine are blooming. I put them where they're happy, but they are out of sight and i tend to forget they're over there.

Meredith, that was me. I have 2 fringe trees growing wild at the wood's edge and the flowers have a sweet coconuty smell. Yours is beautiful.

Tammy I got the dwarf bearded in a trade with Nancy (nancedar).

Devoniensis
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Hairy Spiderwort
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Aquilegia chrysantha
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Gulf Coast Penstemon
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Climbing Old Blush in full bloom
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How can something so beautiful have such crazy name as Hairy Spiderwort? That is so lovely. Does it belong to the strappy leaves?

Meredith

Yes, the strappy leaves are the spiderwort's, Meredith. They are great plants. I have one i got at a swap with chartreuse leaves and powder/lav blue blooms. Sizzles!

Alicia, I'm glad you told me that since i got 3 or 4 varieties from Nan last year. I'll have to check the tags, but i bet that's one of the varieties- thought it sounded familiar. One of hers bloomed this year, but i keep missing the blooms by a day. I was really excited today to find that my iris swertii is blooming- it's one of my faves. I got that from Betty- she had it in with the table iris, and they'd christened it 'baby circus stripes' before they found out it was species. I'd lost it and reaquired it from her a few years back and I still keep i with the tables, but i have them separated by variety so i can keep track better. It's one of the less vigorous ones, along with the orchid colored one and the cream. At any rate, this is the first it's bloomed. I took pix and will post later.

Anyone know what this is? I found them in a moist woods in upstate SC.

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Wake Robin - a Trilium

It's trillium cuneatum. Great ephemeral wildflower.

You ladies have made my day with the photos. All of them are wonderful. I live in the mountains and we don't have a lot blooming yet. Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos. Sonja

Conquistador
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Great Lakes with Eastern Black Swallowtail
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Clotilde Soupert. One of the best for fragrance.
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Sir Robert Lipton. This rose has a good fragrance too.
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Fringe tree at the edge of one of the fields
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American Snowbell in one of the sloughs. I think the flowers of this tree have the best fragrance of any.
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Pic of another snowbell in full sun
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a little OT- but do any of you know what the tree is that's just finishing blooming now with white hanging clusters of flowers like a small grape bunch under the terminal leaf cluster? (that's what it looks like going 45 anyhow). They've been blooming for a couple weeks and the leaves were barely out when they began. They are a small to medium sized tree, in natural areas. It's not sourwood- i know what those look like, and they bloom above the leaves. Not fringe tree, either. I've seen them along the road and wondered. Alicia, you have such a great grasp of natives- i bet you'll know right off.

Maybe for the fall swap i can talk you into bringing some snowbell cuttings off that fragrant one? None of the cuttings i got last fall took. :( Snowbell and fringetree are 2 of my big wants for the woody natural area in back.

Tammy that's honey locust.

Tammy, yes I will bring cuttings of the snowbell. In fact I'm going to start cuttings this month to see if they'll go ahead and root. I'm going to try to take a picture of the snowbell that's at the corner of what used to be the front yard, behind the old well, when the flowers have fully opened. So far the pictures aren't looking like anything. The habit of the tree in part shade is really lovely, layered like a dogwood and the perfume! -- it carries over 50 feet.

mmm- sounds heavenly! Thanks so much Alicia! Both for the ID and the cuttings! I feel a little silly that i didn't know that was honey locust, but now i do.

Jesse's Song in full bloom now in bed beside neighbor's pasture
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Iris along sidewalk
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I love the iris along the sidewalk!! I'm in the process of putting in my back walks now, you are giving me some good ideas!

So not to rain on the "pretty picture parade" but I had to share what I found when I headed out to walk this am at 6. One of the three trunks on my Fringe Tree(see above) snapped under its own soggy weight last night. Is it wrong to be so sad? Now I am sitting here trying not to fret about the inch we are supposed to get today and what that might do to the remaining two trunks. Anyone want to come over and prop up a tree with me?

teary Meredith

Oh no Meredith, I am so sorry to hear that. :(

I walk my dog at Lake Benson Park in south Raleigh/Garner and their small fringe tree also split last night during the rain. Such a shame. They had planted the tree in the wrong place and never really take care of them either but this one was shaping up nicely and covered with blooms.

If it were me, I would rush out there and rig up a support and pull the split pieces back together and bind it all with some sort of bandage. I have healed all sorts of small bushes that way. It may not work with a large tree with thick bark but I would try it before I chopped it down.

The inside portion of a limb does little true work for the tree except structural support. All the water and minerals travel up and down through the tissue just under the bark. So, if you can put the pieces back together and support them somehow you might be able to heal your tree. Just a thought.

Definitely try that Meredith- i've done that with redbuds and dogwood before with good success! If you bind it then put props up under the branches so they don't bear as much weight for a while, it helps a lot. You can trim a bit from then ends to make it lighter, too. Best of luck!!

Well thanks everybody! I must fess up that I, apparently misguidedly, took some initiative but not what you all recommended. As soon as it stopped pouring, I went out and dug around in the center of the tree to see how bad the damage was. I would put the tear at around 80%, with the bulk of the dead weight resting on one of the other two trunks. So.......I finished the deed and cut the nearly severed trunk. At the time, I felt like it was the best choice for the whole tree. I think I should have waited til hubby got home(and of course then had time to read your posts) but the threat of so much more rain had me worried about losing the whole thing. Oh well...it looks so ridiculous right now, like a huge tree petticoat, but I'll have to see after it dries out and rights itself somewhat.

On a brighter note, my peonies have loved all this water and I swear I can see the buds swelling while I watch. Think happy thoughts....think happy thoughts!

Slightly less teary Meredith