Lake Land’Or

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Interior Design Lesson #1: How to match one’s cat to one’s decor

What cat? I don’t see any cat! Where is Matilda?

I think my friend Sue has done a most excellent job at feline + floor coordinating, don’t you? Move over, Nate Berkus!

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Georgia sky

I shot this landscape last August when I was visiting my friend Carmen in South Carolina. We were visiting her sister-in-law and nephew and his wife on their farm in Commerce, Georgia.

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Lilytopia 2011

From the Lilytopia signage:

About the Designer: This breathtaking exhibition of lilies was created by Dorien van den Berg, the famed and world-inspired designer from The Netherlands. Dorien was born in The Netherlands and at the age of fourteen was introduced to flower exhibition at the renowned Keukenhof, The Netherlands. She was inspired by these shows and focused her studies on horticulture. She traveled the world and learned different flower arranging styles in Brussels, Vienna, America, Japan and other countries. Years of experiencing different cultures and learning new flower arranging styles have made Dorien what she is and what she creates today. For Longwood Gardens, she carefully selected materials and lily cultivars that create a design that balances color, texture and form to transform the Conservatory into a true LilyTopia.

Lilytopia 2011 showcases over 11,000 cut lilies and 1,500 calla lilies. Learn more about Lilytopia behind-the-scenes in the following links:

http://www.marthastewart.com/270900/lily-glossary?video_id=0

https://longwoodgardens.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/countdown-to-lilytopia-2011/

Photo © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Oriental Lily ‘Apogee’

New Oriental Lily ‘Apogee’ from Gebr. Vletter & Den Haan

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Lilium ‘Eyeliner’

Lilium ‘Eyeliner’, LA Hybrid (a cross between Longiflorum and Asiatic lilies)

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Oriental-Trumpet Lily ‘Baruta’

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The coolest bathroom hallway EVER

I shot this photo below of the restroom hallway in Longwood’s new East Conservatory Plaza. It is the largest “living wall” in North America, and was designed by famed British landscape architect Kim Wilkie.

This is the first time I’ve seen a living wall planted with ferns and other greenery (28 plant species and 47,000 plants in total!)—rather than succulents. (I blogged here about the gorgeous living wall of succulents on the facade of the Anthropologie store in Huntsville, Alabama). Watch the video below to see how the project came together and see the Longwood Gardens blog here for more information.

Oriental Lily ‘Pink Coral’

When we visited Longwood Gardens yesterday, we were smitten by “Lilytopia,” the main Conservatory exhibit that will run until this Monday, May 30. More than 13,000 stems graced the Conservatory, including varieties that have never been seen in North America. The exhibit was inspired by the world-famous lily show at Keukenhof, a historic park in Holland. The show designer is Dorien van den Berg, a floral designer who designs the annual Keukenhof Lily Show. There were lilies everywhere—from tall towers covered entirely with the blooms to individual vases full of flawless specimens. There were several hundred types of hybrids and cultivars—some not even named yet. I shot several photos of the displays and will share them in a future posting, but in the interim, check out Longwood Gardens’ blog here to see behind-the-scenes of Lilytopia.

Over the past five to six years, I have been growing lilies in my garden and now have more than a dozen different types. I added two new ones from Longwood Gardens to my garden yesterday—Gizmo, an extra large white LO Hybrid, and Bonbini, a cream/white Orientpet with pretty pink accents. I was looking for “Eyeliner,” but they were sold out (take a look at the link for it and you’ll see just why! It’s a beautiful white LA Hybrid with thin dark outlines around the entire petal—making it look like it stepped off the pages of a coloring book, just waited to be filled in! Check it out here.

You can order directly from The Lily Store online here. Lilies have always been one of my top ten flowers because they are extremely showy, infinitely photogenic and so easy to care for. Demure, they are not. That—I can most certainly relate to.

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Katydid and bonus bug

I think this is a Katydid, but I’m not sure what the other tiny bug is. I sat down to photograph this yellow flower (identification unknown) and when I focused in on my subject, I spotted this katydid, not even 1/4- inch long. I opened the photo in Photoshop and discovered there was an even tinier bug at the bottom of the lowest petal! It might be this katydid’s offspring, but I can’t tell if the legs are the same. I think I need to get an extension tube to be able to get even closer on these tiny bugs. 

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Candelabra Lavender

Candelabra Lavender (Lavandula pinnata), native to Madeira and the Canary Islands, from the mint family

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Wild Iris Dietes grandiflora

Also called Fairy Iris, Dietes grandiflora is a perennial evergreen plant in the Iridaceae family. Native to South Africa, it is drought and frost hardy.

According to www.plantzafrica.com: the name Dietes means “having two relatives” and refers to the relationship between this genus and Moraea and Iris. Grandiflora means “large flower.” This plant is occasionally called the “Fairy Iris” because the fragile white petals not only look like fairy wings, but also have a tendency to disappear mysteriously overnight!

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Sunscape Osteospermum

Sunscape Osteospermum (Osteospermum cv. Namagua)

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Lupines

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Silver Sage (Salvia argentea)

Silver Sage (Salvia argentea), native to S. Europe, is part of the Mint family.

Don’t those three white flowers look like a gathering of white swans?

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Anthurium ‘Salsa Pink’

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Giant Apostles’ Iris

Giant Apostles’ Iris (Neomarica caerulea ‘Regina’)

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Re-post: White Peacock Butterfly (Anartia jatrophae) on Plumbago flower

Originally posted August 8, 2010. Photographed at the Wings of Fancy exhibit at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland

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Frequent visitor to my garden

I was potting two ferns near a bench and looked up to see my neighbor’s cat, Foxy, lounging on top of the fence, surrounded by honeysuckle blooms, and warily watching me. I noticed how green her eyes were and how bright the green background was and knew I had a great combo going! I grabbed my camera and got a bunch of shots. She remained on her lofty perch for more than an hour.

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Allium Bulgaricum

Allium Bulgaricum (Nectaroscordum siculum). This ornamental allium is easy to grow, deer-resistant, and hardy to zone 4. They thrive in sunlight and bloom in May and June. Also known as Mediterranean Bells, Sicilian Honey Lily, Ornamental Onion and Sicilian Garlic; native to the Mediterranean.

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White Clematis

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Blooming in my garden: Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’

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Blooming in my garden: Lavender

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Blooming in my garden: Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ Beard Tongue

Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ Beard Tongue—this perennial plant gets its “Beard Tongue” nickname from the tuft of yellow hairs just outside of the throat of the flowers. A North American native, Beard Tongue likes full sun to partial shade and prefers drier, average soil. This easy-to-grow plant attracts birds and butterflies. Hardy to zone 3; grows 2-3 feet tall

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Love-in-a-Mist

Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damscena), photographed at Green Spring Gardens

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Blooming in my garden: Rose Campion

Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria) is a hardy and drought-tolerant perennial with silver-gray leaves on 2- to 3-foot tall stalks. Vividly intense magenta flowers bloom late spring to mid-summer and frequent deadheading keeps them blooming longer. A common flower in cottage gardens, they seed everywhere and are suitable for xeriscaping. Partial shade to full sun, zones 3-9, colors: pale pink, pink, fuchsia and white/near white (And yes, they are this intensely colored!)

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Blooming in my garden: Italian Bugloss

Herbaceous perennial Anchusa azurea ‘Loddon Royalist’, from the Boraginaceae family; common names: Italian bugloss and Italian Alkanet. It is called “agoglossos” in Crete, where the locals eat the tender stems boiled, steamed or fried. Blue flowers resembling forget-me-nots bloom from May through June on three foot stalks in zones 3-8. This plant prefers full sun, although it’s in partial shade in my front yard garden and is still blooming profusely!

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Blooming in my garden: Rose Campion ‘Angels Blush’

This is one of the most prolific self-seeding plants I have ever grown and one of my favorites because it is happy to grow when and where it wants! I have this pink and white variety as well as the intensely-colored deep pink blooms (which are actually harder to photograph because the color is so intense!). It self-seeds in the front garden sidewalk cracks, sprouts out of the stone wall border around our garden, and even shows up halfway across the garden (where I certainly didn’t plant it!). This disease-resistant perennial is very easy to grow. Deadheading spent flowers ensures blooms through the entire summer! The velvety texture and silvery gray-green leaves and stems remind me of Dusty Miller and Lamb’s Ears. Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria), also called Mullein pink, prefers sunny, well-drained soil (but I’ve had it grow in partial shade, too, when it self-seeded!). It can be propagated by seed or divided by basal cuttings in early spring. One inch flowers bloom profusely atop stems that reach 18-24″.

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Blooming in my garden: New England Aster

New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), a hardy perennial native to the northeastern U.S.

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Gray Santolina or Lavender Cotton buds

When opened, these tiny wooly Lavender Cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus) buds will be a cheerful yellow hue. This evergreen perennial shrub, from the family Asteraceae, is native to the western and central Mediterranean region, which makes it a great plant for xeriscape landscaping. Photographed at Green Spring Gardens

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