Fuzzy Morning Pictures

I was on my way out the door this morning when I saw this particularly lovely bloom on 'Souvenir de la Malmaison.' Work's been a bit tiresome lately, so I thought I deserved to take a few minutes this morning walking the garden and go in a little late. Timeliness is for drones.

This was a very nice thing in terms of seeing flowers as their first, freshest flush. It was not such a good thing in terms of taking photographs. Today's efforts are a sort of expressionist meditation on a flower garden in the middle of a late summer renaissance. (What exactly, you might ask, are the photos are meant to express? The deplorable effect of a lack of light on photographs, I think.)

Anyway, I'm abjectly sorry for the blurriness, but there's so much going on that I had to post them anyway.

For example, this blossom shows the distinctive, delicate coloring on S de la M: Palest pink petals with dark pink in the flower's interior.

A young 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' bloom. Apparently, in motion.

Also, these red lycoris (L. radiata) are in bloom. I don't have many of these bulbs, and they only bloom once a year (if that), so I had to snap while I could. These are in front of a trellis of 'Red Cascade.'

One of our very few Lycoris radiata plantings

Red lycoris and oxblood lilies bloom in the same general season, but I don't think they usually bloom at the exact same time. However, these are. Our yard seems to be in the peak of Oxblood bloom--perhaps hastened by the new irrigation system. The two pictures show the difference in color between these two somewhat similar amaryllids.

Oxblood lilies (Rhodophiala bifida) among the weeds & bananas

We've got a mysterious pink-striped crinum that's about to pop.

Unknown crinum buds

And this morning one of my 'Ellen Bosanquets' was rearing up proudly. Unfortunately, by evening the stalk had flopped over, as this particular specimen tends to do. Red-leaved crinum in the background.

The lilac-pink-and-apple-green buds of Crinum 'Ellen Bosanquet'

Our little 'Mlle. Franziska Kreuger' is covered in little pink balls. None of them are looking their best--all a bit spiky and scruffy, thanks to the weather--but as there are rather few pictures of Mlle. FK online, I thought I'd post this one.

'Mademoiselle Franziska Kreuger' tea rose during a drought

The Triumph of the Pecans
Meanwhile, our pecans are heavy with fruit. The old one in the front yard is to wieghed down that its branches are touching the ground in several places. And fat! I can't believe how big these pecans are. Where did the trees find the water to manufacture fruit so large? We gave them a few (very few) shots of water over the summer--but I can't think that 3 sprinkles with the hose could be transformed into much of anything. Goes to show what I know. I've got one of those pecan picker-uppers that looks like a slinky on a stick, so once they start dropping ripe ones, I'll start collecting.

Believe it or not, this thing is actually sold on amazon under the name "Pecan Picker Upper."

Pecan pralines, pecan tarts, pecan cookies, candied pecans, spiced pecans, pecan pralines... And this weekend I'm going to make pumpkin-pecan bars.

Fall's a-comin'!