We always considered Gerbera daisies to be annuals. However the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the plant is hardy in zones 8 to 11. Although Pittsburgh is a Zone 6 we have had very mild winters due to global warning and our daisies now seem to be perennials. I hope it is another mild winter so I can see this flower again next summer.
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Gerbera Daisy
Dahlias have always been one of my favorite summer flowers. They are perennial plants native to Mexico and related to sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. I always thought they were only one color but these are a beautiful multicolored variety.
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Multicolored Dahlias
We planted our lilies with hope. They looked fine and healthy as they emerged from the ground. We noticed our pansies were being eaten and applied dried blood and the pansies survived. Our neighborhood suddenly seems to be overrun with rabbits. It rained for a few days and when we next looked outside the lilies all had a number of buds on each plant. We again applied the dried blood.
A week later we had a lot of rain and the next day after the rained stopped. There was not a leaf on any Lily plant. The buds were hanging off of green stalks. Damn bunnies! I was convinced they would never bloom. We again spread in the dried blood but it was too late I feared. How could they provide enough energy to bloom without any leaves for photosynthesis?
Life finds a way and the lilies survived!
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White Lilly
We planted our lilies with hope. They looked fine and healthy as they emerged from the ground. We noticed our pansies were being eaten and applied dried blood and the pansies survived. Our neighborhood suddenly seems to be overrun with rabbits. It rained for a few days and when we next looked outside the lilies all had a number of buds on each plant. We again applied the dried blood.
A week later we had a lot of rain and the next day after the rained stopped. There was not a leaf on any Lilly plant. The buds were hanging off of green stalks. Damn bunnies! I was convinced they would never bloom. We again spread in the dried blood but it was too late I feared. How could they provide enough energy to bloom without any leaves for photosynthesis?
Life finds a way and the lilies survived!
To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.
Survivor Lily
In Western Pennsylvania day lilies grow wild by the road side. They are always a plain orange color. They naturalize so vigorously that some people think of them as weeds and pull them out. They are available in a wide variety of colors. We tend to eschew the very popular Stella D’oro variety and plant different colors. I love the dark purple and red day lilies. This year we planted this one not knowing what color it would be and got this pleasant surprise.
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Special Day Lily
We are starting to look for a new car to replace our ten year old Accord. We have at least eleven models to price and compare so we are not yet sure what we will buy but we know what color we want. If it is close to this tulip, we will be happy.
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Perfect Car Color
Another one that was lost in the editing shuffle. I had another macro shot of this orchid that I put on my commercial site but actually like this one better. I like the way the foliage provide a natural background for the vibrant color of the bloom.
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Orchids on Display
This is a special tulip, it almost looks like a painting hence the name. When we moved into our new house in Pittsburgh last year we vowed to add 100’s of bulbs each year to make each spring special. This was the first year with a feast of spring blooms and next year promises to be even better.
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Rembrandt Tulip
You can’t really grow camellias in Pittsburgh as they are only recommended for zones 7-10. One of the true bonuses of traveling south during the winter is to see this beauty in bloom all over the place. Found this one walking around Treasure Island Florida. This bloom is probably five or six inches wide!
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Camellia
When we moved off the mountain last year we had to leave our Christmas Cactus behind. So we had to acquire a new one which rewarded us with a single but beautiful bloom.
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Christmas Cactus
Imagery Photography 