Stargazer lilies

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Thought I’d play with the black velvet background behind this group of Stargazer lilies blooming in my backyard garden this afternoon. I’ve previously done single blooms (mostly of Bearded irises), but wanted to see what the effect would be for an entire grouping of blooms. I shot this image with my iPhone 12 Pro Max using the Camera+ 2 app in macro mode.

Gladiolus in my garden

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Alliums

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Irises at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Pocket garden, year #2

And so it begins—my second year of creating the “hanging garden of Babylon,” as Michael calls it. This year I added a lot more punchy color with red and pink polka dot plants and geraniums with colorful leaves. I added an Asparagus fern, coleus, white and green polka dot plants, sweet potato vines in three color variations and several ivies. Stay tuned for the metamorphosis!

Bearded irises galore in my garden (bouquet #2)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bearded irises galore in my garden (bouquet #1)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Japanese Roof Iris

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Roof iris ‘Alba’

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

(iPhone 12 Pro Max, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode)

 

Siberian iris with bumblebee

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (iPhone 12 Pro Max, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode)

Feed me, Seymour!

This one is, well, um, interesting. It’s got a Little Shop of Horrors “Feed me, Seymour” vibe. I’ll capture it fully unfurled and see if its demeanor changes.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Parrot tulips blooming in my new garden bed

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Bleeding hearts

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (iPhone 12 Pro Max, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode)

Parrot tulip blooming in my garden

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (iPhone 12 Pro Max, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode)

Grape hyacinth (Muscari) blooming in my garden

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (iPhone 12 Pro Max, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode)

African daisy (Osteospermum)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (iPhone 12 Pro Max, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode)

Sprouts

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

As soon as I saw this jumble of sprouted bulbs (still in the bag on the potting bench), I immediately thought of these lyrics by my beloved John Denver:

I want to live I want to grow
I want to see I want to know
I want to share what I can give
I want to be I want to live

I *think* these are iris bulbs. Or very tiny gladiola bulbs. The label was now rendered illegible due to the rain. I ordered them online, and while I planted everything else, I left these on the bench, intending to find a place for them later. Then the rains came. And came. And came. When there wasn’t rain, I watered the garden daily, never seeing these still on the bench. Just now, I glanced over and saw some tall green stalks on the bench. Whaaaaaa? The little bulbs had sprouted; every single one of them! They were poking through the holes in the bag, roots entangling. The roots even went through the bag and had attached themselves to my gardening gloves.

I sat at the patio table and cut them free from the bag and found a home for them in the garden.

Daylily

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

 

Rudbeckia

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

 

Daylilies

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Daylily

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Juvenile Widow skimmer dragonfly

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Stargazer lilies

My huge cluster of stargazer lilies put on quite a show a few weeks ago! 18 blooms across four plants, and so fragrant that I could smell them from the front porch! 

Shot with my iPhone 8Plus

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Re-post: Summer issue of Celebrate Home Magazine

Summer has begun and there’s no better time than now to revisit the summer 2013 issue of Celebrate Home Magazine.

Here’s what you’ll find in this issue:

HOME
Up a Creek with Lots of Memories—The Havermann family finds a place to play in a vacation 
home on St. Leonard’s Creek in southern Maryland.

FOOD & ENTERTAINING
Light and Lively Summer Fare—Chef Emily Doermann whips up a tasty summer meal.

Not-a-Burger—Everyone loves a burger on the grill during summer. If you’re not a meat-eater, here is an alternative that can’t be beat!

Six Summer Sips—Mixologist Karen Covey shares sizzling summer drinks to beat the heat.

Space Cake—Put down that Moon Pie and try this heirloom cake without-of-the-world taste.

Inspired by the Garden: Garden Muse Tea Reception—Barbara Kelley caters a photography exhibit reception to remember.

Summer Tablescapes—Usher in summer with cool summer-inspired tablescapes.

THE ARTIST
Shoe-la-la, Ooh-la-la!—A popular children’s book is the inspiration for a mural in 
a shoe-loving little girl’s room.

HOME
That 80s House—A bathroom gets a new lease on life.

Rest for the Weary—Create a welcoming guestroom for your visitors.

GARDENING
Ode to a Chicken—Becka Davis pays homage to a beloved feathered friend.

Suburban Agriculture: Confessions of a Brown Thumb—Maria Hufnagel shares her experience as a first-time gardener.

Fashioning a Fairy Garden—Kristin Clem connects with her inner child and creates 
a miniature fairy paradise.

HOW-TO
Photographing Your Garden Through the Seasons—Photographer Cindy Dyer shares her tips for creating captivating images in the garden.

THE COLLECTOR
Rampant Biblioholism—Marisa Sarto interviews CHM’s art director/photographer, Cindy Dyer, 
and discovers how a love of books has shaped her collection.

So Charming—Ginger Garneau shares her lifelong passion for charm bracelets.

CRAFT
Fit to Tied (and Dyed): Fun and Easy Wearables Made with T-shirts—Achieve amazing results with inexpensive t-shirts, colorful dyes, simple 
knotting and a pair of scissors!

PERSPECTIVES
Living Spontaneously, Finding Roots by Martha Bizzell
Celebrating Life at the Table by Gina Waterfield
The Home of My Dreams by Stephanie Simpson
Home is… by Bo Mackison
Saying Goodbye by William Lee
Respect for Home by Birgitte Tarding
Always Growing by Lisa Westfall

View the issue as reader spreads (my favorite!):

CHM Summer 2013 Spreads

View the issue as single pages (suitable for printing):

CHM Summer 2013 Single Pages

Splurge and purchase a beautiful print copy on magcloud.com (no markup; at cost + shipping):

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/600404

Cricket on mums

iPhone 8Plus, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode, Snapseed app border

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

Mums

iPhone 8Plus, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode, Snapseed app border

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

 

Vinca

Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Skipper butterfly on Aster bloom

Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Alstroemeria (Peruvian lilies)

Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Thunbergia (Black-eyed Susan vine)

Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.