Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Getting a Flower Fix in Palmer

Yes, I know this isn't a flower but this statue of Balto, made possible by the 2nd-3rd grade classes of Butte Elem. in 1997-98, stands guard at the parking lot of the Palmer Visitor Center where their flower garden is on display every summer. The rest of the pix are just random shots, pretty much in the order I took them as I wandered about.

Oddly enough, since it was in this garden that I discovered spoonflowers last year, I didn't see one, but this one is surely a cousin to my Spoony. It was in the display around the sign outside the center.

I am so loving this flower, tho' don't think it'd fit into my landscaping (okay, Mother Nature's random landscaping that I just don't mow down). It sorta grows up a wire frame they've stretched up the sides of the gateway into the garden. Think vine. Very delicate and showy.


No clue what this is and couldn't find any ID'er, but the color is fairly accurate. I think I looked briefly at some of it at the plant place in Eagle River the day I bought Spoony, tho' obviously I didn't file away the name for future reference.
Oh, pretty yellow flowers abound....

Not the greatest shot but I love foxglove. Maybe it'll be my gardening adventure next summer, who knows. I haven't managed to kill Spoony yet.







Oh, man, these smelled soooooo good.

You'd think by now that as much as I love these flowers that I'd remember their name but, sigh, I don't.

You know, I think I could live with a front yard full of this. The clover would blend right in and I'd never know when summer gives way to winter, right?

I'm not quite sure I want one of these Walking Onions -- never heard of 'em until today -- in my yard, but they sure make for an interesting looking flower.



Here's another one I liked but couldn't find a name for. Not lupine, at least the sort of lupine I'm familiar with.

An otherwise so-so photo that's here simply cos it's the only one I managed to get a half-way decent shot of even one of those darn bees buzzing around over there in.



More orange than red in real life.

These remind me lots of what I've been calling bluebells around here tho', well, obviously not blue. White bells?

The sunflowers were just too, too cool. The looked so perfect in spots that I just had to touch 'em to make sure they were real!



Found the sorta tan color of these interesting.

They'd put together some interesting colors in flower beds.

A not very successful attempt to be arty, "Raindrops on Cabbage".
Hanging above the gateway into the garden was this beautiful basket of flowers. Some folks were posing with it as we arrived. That's the Visitor's Center to the rear.

wishing now that I'd gotten a better close-up shot of this one. Love the markings.

You've heard of "Pretty in Pink"? Well, here's "Pretty in Yellow".



Another wild looking plant that grabbed my attention.

Pointy Mellow Yellow? No clue....

Had a soft, lacey look

A hanging basket outside a side door into the Visitor Center.

Just in case taking in all the flowers gives us the yen to travel, there's a big sign with multiple sides showing the various distances to places many of us can only dream of visiting.

Then again, the road home beckons....