japonesque

1
five mallards floating
on the cusp of a new year
like Janus, two-faced

almost lilies

A lily bud floats in early evening above hydrangea macrophylla Jogasaki, a double-flowered Japanese lacecap. The sterile inner blooms [of macrophylla Jogasaki] are surrounded by open-faced outer blooms evocative of "miniature pink water lilies floating atop a pond" (see 2008 July).

water lily

A lily floats, in the midst of searing outdoor temperatures (up to 103 Fahrenheit). The pistil seems to be on fire.



june / louisiana
Sunlight through old glass, warm and cool like a shallow stream.

paper white

narcissus ... narcissus ...

like water lilies on a pond

This is the most beautiful hydrangea in my garden - hydrangea macrophylla Jogasaki, a double-flowered lacecap from Japan. According to the Almost Eden website: The individual double blooms which surround the sterile inner blooms have been described by some as "miniature pink water lilies floating atop a pond". She didn't bloom at all last year but this year, she is glorious. Walking by, I tell her "thank you for blooming in my garden". She needs to be moved (very gently) to a site where she has room - maybe this fall ...