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Lovely New York Asters

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My perennial New York Asters are in full bloom and they are putting on a spectacular display as usual.

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The bee’s can’t help but visit the small purple flowers to collect as much pollen as they can either.

I actually took this photo last year around this time. The weather’s been cool and the skies have been cloudy all week – not ideal picture taking conditions. Hopefully today or tomorrow I can get out in the garden and take a lot of pictures. The roses are pretty much all in bloom again, probably the last blooms of the season for many … so I’ve got to get those pictures soon!

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Who said you could pick my flowers?

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I’m just seething right now.

I was just coming outside a little while ago to clean up the dog fur at my front porch after a long grooming season with my Labrador Retriever, and as I exited my front door I noticed an older lady practically standing in my planted boulevard pulling away at my sunflowers. sunflower

She had a huge bouquet of yellow flowers tucked under her right arm, and with her other arm she was trying to get some of my sunflowers to add to her collection.

She noticed me come outside and she had the gall to turn to me and ask for scissors???

I told her “No I’m not going inside for scissors” – 1. I was covered in dog hair and wasn’t about to go inside where my husband had just vacuumed to get a thief something to aid her assault on my plants and 2. I was just stunned that she was hacking and pulling away at my plants right in front of me!

She told me she wanted the flower to take to the hospital. Yeah along with the variety of yellow flowers in the bouquet she was carrying – the flowers that she’d probably stolen along the way as she walked towards the hospital.

I let her take the flower. I mean she’d already ruined the stalk. But I’m really ticked off at the nerve she had taking the flower(s) in the first place without even attempting to ask first.

If she hadn’t had a whole bouquet of what I can only presume were flowers she’d lifted from other peoples gardens, or if I’d recognized he as a volunteer at the hospital I might have felt a little differently …

I guess I know now why some of the stalks on a few of the sunflower plants were all hanging down and trampled last week. She’d probably stolen flowers last week too.

Just her whole attitude ticked me off. I can picture her walking down my driveway and going into the backyard to pick roses too! Arghh

I don’t even pick my own flowers! Not for myself anyway!

I feel like putting a sign up that says

“These flowers are for those in the neighborhood to “look” at, not to pick!”

Should I bother? Or maybe I should leave some of my dogs droppings right where she’ll be likely to step in it if she tries to get my flowers again? Ha Ha! ((( yes I’m feeling evil )))

After she wandered off down the street I went and got my pruners and trimmed the stems and stalks she’d broken. I also shortened and thinned out the patch of sunflowers as they were beginning to get tall and were starting to hang out into the roadway. Remember last year I got a bylaw order to cut my sunflowers down to three feet? Well, they are about four feet tall right now, but look a lot tidier than they did this morning.

I’d hate to get a bylaw order to cut them down again with only about a month left to enjoy them, well if I can keep the flower thief away that is …

The thing that gets me most is that if she’d asked I probably would have let her take a flower. I would have even helped by cutting it myself. Heck, after she’d damaged the plants and I went out to fix the damage there were sunflowers all over the ground. Chris came out to help me put the cut stalks and leaves in a bag and as people walked by us we even gave them some of the sunflowers. So it’s not like we aren’t generous with our flowers – it’s just the fact that she didn’t even bother asking and that she damaged the plants. Grrrr

Interesting flowers

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I grow a number of different flowers and plants in my garden, but you’ve probably guessed by now (if you’re a regular reader) that there’s more roses than any other type of plant. Having said that I do enjoy my more unusual flowers like my Black Hollyhocks:

Black Hollyhock

This picture doesn’t do this large open flower justice.

The color of the petals appear black from a distance, but when you get up close you can see that the petal color is really a very deep maroon. If you look at the petal in the top right you can see some of the deep maroon color that I’m talking about.

I love these flowers velvety appearance too.

Another flower that I like is the Balloon flower. In particular I enjoy looking at the flower buds before they bloom.

Balloon flower bud

The buds look like balloons that are about to float away.

I must go now and close the doors and windows. A skunk must be walking around the neighborhood. The pungent smell is coming into my house. Stinky! I’m surprised my dog hasn’t reacted to the smell yet!

I thought I’d take a moment to highlight a few of our Green Thumb Sunday participants recent posts.  There are some fantastic photos on these pages as well as stories to go with them!

Check it out:

Green Thumb Sunday – Orange roses. Moonstone Beach, Cambria, California.Gardeners, as well as plant and nature lovers, can join Green Thumb Sunday every Sunday. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Green Thumb Sunday – Join Green Thumb Sunday My Mom loved her Cactus plants and shared with everyone, even potting them to be sold at the local thrift store. The plant receives very little care and attention from Pop and I, other than occasional watering, …

Green Thumb Sunday – Frost! – Supposed to be between -1 and +1 C. I have to go uncover what I did manage to cover, in a few minutes. I picked some beats, an onion, a bell pepper, potatoes, tomatoes, purple and green beans, squash, and zucchini.

Green Thumb Sunday ~ Echinopsis – Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in for Green Thumb Sunday by visiting As the Garden Grows for more information. Join. Some rights reserved. See Creative Commons License on post for details.

Green Thumb Sunday! – I always leave volunteer sunflowers. Here’s why…

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information. GTS participants remember to check in at As the Garden Grows each week so that we’ll know you made a new post!

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