Sunday 3 February 2013

In the pink


I first came upon this quote by American photographer Dorothea Lange courtesy of my desk calendar, but it was one that immediately registered with me:  “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”

Before our recent storms and the flood damage that followed through much of Brisbane and Queensland, the garden had taken a pounding from the intense heat. On many a morning, I wandered down to the front garden to feed the goldfish, and there seemed to be little in flower. But since I started this blog and have began taking regular photos, I have become more attuned to my garden and see so much more, whether I have my camera with me or not.

One of the little details that I have come to love are the twisted spent blooms of the Leopard Lily Belamcanda chinensis.










Here a spider lying in wait for an unwary visitor mirrors the shape of the flower above.



Continuing the pink theme in my garden and just as reliable as the leopard lily are the cosmos. Both self seed fairly freely, but never enough to be a nuisance.

Cosmos about to bloom

and in full flower with attendant spider

The scabious has been a wonderful addition to the garden this year, and I have enjoyed it in all its phases. There is a very subtle variation in the shades of the flowers; many are more mauve than pink.

Scabious just beginning to bloom.

Scabious with pink salvia 'Heatwave Sizzle' in the background.


Scabious seed heads




A new unnamed  variety of pink salvia that I picked up at the markets.


Another recent acquisition Ginger Globba winitii 'Red Back'

The final pink bloom that I am sharing this post is the beautiful pink cassia Cassia javanica. Sadly, it isn't in my garden, but a tree I spotted on my return from the supermarket. While I have seen a few others around the neighbourhood, they are frequently too tall to be able to get a good photo of the flowers. 

Once I would have driven past probably without paying much heed, but luckily I had my camera on board.









Miss Bella always looks pretty in pink too.


14 comments:

  1. Even though the weather was unkind to lots of people I think our gardens have appreciated the rain. I planted a pink cassia about 4 years ago but so far it hasn't flowered. Seeing that one, I hope it does soon. They are beautiful.

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    1. Sadly, no room for a pink cassia here, but yours will be worth the wait once it flowers.

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  2. I love all the pink in your garden. :o) My scabiosa never go dormant here and are bright spots in my very brown, dormant garden. I also have a belamcanda but I think they're going to have orange flowers. They're still really small. I just started the seeds last spring.

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    1. I think you'll find the belamcanda will grow really quickly. They are lovely and seem to fit in everywhere they spring up.

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  3. Oh I love pink and you definitly have some stunners on show today. That leopard lily is wonderful - I dont think I have ever seen it before. Amazing how it curls out from a twist like that.

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    1. Let me know if you want some seeds sent up to you. I shared a few last year, and although I gave it a big haircut today, I can easily let some go to seed and put some aside for you if your're interested.

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  4. That leopard lily is really cool! Great photos - I personally love pink /pink flowers- enjoyed the post. =0) and Miss Bella. Too cute!!!

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    1. Thanks Kacky. The leopard lily is great. I think there are yellow and orange ones too, but I love the pink.

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  5. Lovely pink flowers! And the Leopard Lily is amazing, never seen a lily behaving like that after flowering!

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    1. Despite the name, I think it is more closely related to irises, Helene. It has a similar blade-like foliage and grows from a rhizome.

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  6. In the pink indeed!! Very pretty pink blooms, and of course Miss Bella takes the cake lying on that floral pink striped chair.
    I loved the Ginger Globba.

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    1. Miss B sends her regards to Brownie. The Globba is gorgeous. I have a smaller yellow one too that will be in flower soon. I think it's called 'Golden Dragon'.

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  7. Dear Marisa,
    It is amazing what the eye of a camera can teach us...Miss Bella sure looks pretty in pink, but she always looks good, regardless. She is such a sweetie.
    Happy weekend to you.
    Greetings,
    Heidi

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Heidi. Hope you have a great weekend too.

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