Saturday, September 10, 2011

Late Summer Garden Shot for GGW

I have decided to submit an entry to a  GGW Picture This Photo contest whose theme this month is "Late Summer Garden". This is a time when my garden is still full of color, yet most summer-blooming perennials and shrubs are already past their prime. This morning, when I came out and saw these beautiful wine-colored petals of Basye's Purple Rose scattered on the retaining wall under the last flowers of my California native penstemon, the shot was decided for me. Summer is almost a memory already.




Below is another late summer shot, a close-up of blooms on a hydrangea paniculata. I love them for their fragrance and for their gentle colors which slowly change from a mid-summer's pure white, to a rusty green of fall, to a dry brown of winter.  I hope you like them.

Posted by Masha at 5:38 PM

33 comments:

  1. HolleyGardenSeptember 10, 2011 at 7:07 PM

    Beautiful, Mash, both of them. I was wondering about you today. I hope you're feeling well and are recuperating nicely. I can't believe the summer is gone. You captured that feeling of wistfulness very well.

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  2. Jennifer@threedogsinagardenSeptember 10, 2011 at 7:21 PM

    Masha, These are beautiful images. I always admire the vibrancy of your photographs.

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  3. MashaSeptember 10, 2011 at 8:25 PM

    Holley, thank you for thinking about me. I appreciate your concern a lot. I am feeling a bit better although still have trouble moving around. I need more patience...

    Jennifer, thank you for the compliments, I enjoyed them very much :).

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  4. GirlSproutSeptember 10, 2011 at 9:16 PM

    Good luck with your entry to GGW. It intriguing how different bloggers have interpreted the theme this month. I agree with Jennifer. You have a great sense of color.

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  5. MashaSeptember 10, 2011 at 10:13 PM

    Thank you for your good wishes, GirlSprout. I was surprised by that too. It seems that each of us has his\her own point of view. That`s what makes it interesting.

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  6. Patrick's GardenSeptember 10, 2011 at 11:19 PM

    Masha,
    I really love that top image. With the whispy penstemon on its last legs flanked by petals really embodies the late summer garden. Good Luck.

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  7. MarijkeSeptember 11, 2011 at 1:31 AM

    Hey Masha,
    Beautiful colors of the photographs. I hope you are alright. Summer is over but for you it must be beautiful to look back at your wonderfull pictures. Color is what we want in winter.
    Warm wishes from Holland.
    Marijke

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  8. AlistairSeptember 11, 2011 at 1:32 AM

    I think you have a great chance with these great shots Masha.

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  9. Dani P.September 11, 2011 at 1:57 AM

    Lovely pictures, Masha ! Good luck in the contest ! I am glad, you are better now and you can enjoy your garden .

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  10. Casa MariposaSeptember 11, 2011 at 7:35 AM

    Beautiful!!! I bought two penstemon off the clearance table that I'm going to overwinter in pots with the hopes that I can enjoy them next summer. Love the hydrangea close up!!

    What do you give your roses to help prevent disease? Mine have always been really healthy but the combination of a hot, dryish summer + a sudden deluge has left three of the four battling mildew/black spot. My Sceptre d'Isle seems impervious to disease and looks incredible, but the other three need some help. Non-organic options are fine, too. :o)

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  11. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2011 at 7:46 AM

    Very beautiful, Masha. I hope you win and wish you good luck.

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  12. MashaSeptember 11, 2011 at 8:08 AM

    Patrick, thank you for your wishes and a wonderful description of the image. You have the gift of a poet.

    Marijke, thank you. I am hoping to enjoy these pictures in winter too, that's why I decided to submit the entry.

    Alistair, thank you. I don't know if I do but I enjoyed taking this picture. It only about 300 tries.

    Dani, thank you for your good wishes and I am happy to hear from you again.

    Casa Mariposa, thank you. I hope your penstemon grows and blooms for you. I have researched East Coast penstemons but came up with only p. digitalis, which you probably already know about...
    California is one of the best places to grow roses so I don't have to do anything. We almost never get blackspot, while mildew and rust, although prevalent, are not deadly the way blackspot is. If the weather has been unusual and resulted in disease, I shrug and try not to look thinking that if most of the time a rose looks well, that's good enough for me. If a rose is always sick, I get rid of it and get another (hopefully healthier). Late-season blackspot should not be lethal because your roses have had leaves on all summer and hopefully are not to stressed to survive the winter. For mildew you can use overhead water (mildew likes hot and dry), but of course, that's not good for blackspot, so I don't really have an answer. Again, the only thing I can say is that late in the year it is no big deal. I hope it helps.

    Donna, thank you for your good wishes. I hope you win, loved the picture of a little sad leaf :)

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  13. FlowerLady LorraineSeptember 11, 2011 at 10:08 AM

    That first shot is stunning. I just love the colors. I love your hydrangea too, such mellow shading.

    Enjoy and I hope you win.

    FlowerLady

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  14. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2011 at 11:16 AM

    such lovely photos!

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  15. AnnetteSeptember 11, 2011 at 1:00 PM

    Wundervolle Bilder, besonders das Farbspiel der Hortensie ist beeindruckend! Viele Grüße Annette

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  16. LonaSeptember 11, 2011 at 1:33 PM

    What wonderful shots. Good luck in the contest.

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  17. ChristineSeptember 11, 2011 at 3:08 PM

    I love the first photograph Masha! It tells a story that says "Late Summer Garden" to me.

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  18. MashaSeptember 11, 2011 at 3:17 PM

    Thank you, FlowerLady, RR, Annette, Lona and Christine, for your encouragement and approval. It means a lot to me.

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  19. DonaldSeptember 11, 2011 at 5:36 PM

    The hydrangea photo is just perfect...so beautiful, in their simplicity. Good luck with the competition!

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  20. MashaSeptember 11, 2011 at 5:41 PM

    Thank you, Donald. I am glad you liked the gentler one.

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  21. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2011 at 10:45 PM

    Very lovely hydrangea paniculata, Masha!! I'm sure that in winter, when it's cold and dark here in Finland, it's nice to see your beautiful photos. I'm glad your are better now, I have also such a bad legproblem, so I believe, that I understand also your problem. Good luck for you and have a nice day!

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  22. Paper roses from ParisSeptember 12, 2011 at 4:40 AM

    Very beautiful pictures!

    Regards Janny

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  23. b-a-gSeptember 12, 2011 at 11:58 AM

    Masha - I love the mixture of blue and pink in your penstemons, I've seen it also in your morning glories in previous photos. Clever idea to use fallen rose petals to symbolise late summer.

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  24. MashaSeptember 12, 2011 at 12:44 PM

    B-a-g, thank you. The shot was not arranged, the petals fell there by themselves. As a rose lover, I would never consider ripping off rose petals just to make a pretty picture. No flower has been harmed in the making of it :).

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  25. organicgardendreamsSeptember 12, 2011 at 6:49 PM

    Love the shot that you are entering for the photo contest, Masha! It captures the "end of summer"-mood perfectly. Good luck for the photo contest!
    The hydrangea shot is pretty amazing, too!
    Christina

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  26. CorinaSeptember 13, 2011 at 5:09 AM

    Msha, as always, amazing!
    That hortensia with so many green nuances is so exquisite!

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  27. MashaSeptember 13, 2011 at 10:46 AM

    Thank you for your good wishes, Christina. I am glad you liked the pictures.

    Corina, thank you. I am glad to hear from you again.

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  28. The GardenerSeptember 13, 2011 at 5:18 PM

    I love hydrangea, too, and I REALLY love your hydrangea picture. Your picture would certainly win a prize if I were awarding it. :o)

    CCG

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  29. MashaSeptember 13, 2011 at 5:45 PM

    Thank you, Lois, you are very gracious.

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  30. sweetbaySeptember 14, 2011 at 8:22 PM

    Beautiful images, both of them! I hope you are feeling better now.

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  31. DarlaSeptember 15, 2011 at 4:58 AM

    Gorgeous, good luck!!

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  32. Cathy and SteveSeptember 22, 2011 at 7:12 PM

    I just checked out the gallery at GGW and this is one of my 2 favorite pictures. Definitely the one you entered, even though I adore hydrangeas!

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  33. HASeptember 25, 2011 at 5:50 AM

    Those colors are fabulous! Just that picture makes me crave 'Basye's Purple Rose' :-) I have to check it out a bit further, though I actually suspect I've already added it to an old rose-wish-list of mine, I just haven't tried it yet.. Good luck in the competition - your picture is my favorite so far!

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I am so glad you have stopped by!

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