This is all that is left of a big, beautiful dahlia plant. It had already reached the top of the trellis. I was so excited about getting some great dahalia photos this year.
My other dahia plant. Thank goodness I only planted two, or I would really be heart-broken! I'm hoping they may still somehow come back, but they probably won't have time to bloom.
Weeds that pretend to be flowers. They usually grow back in the middle of the flower bed where it is almost impossible to pull them out.
I edited this one by applying a black and white filter, then a negative filter. I like the way it makes it look like the light source is coming from the bottom of the shot.
Even day lillies that one stay open one day are interesting when edited with a chalk filter, then soften with a transparency.
This is a form of yarrow, which is an extremely hardy plant. It does have nice, lacy white flowers, but it is very aggressive. I have finally resorted to pulling it out as if it were a weed. Given half a chance, it would take over.
Edited with a black and white filter, then highlighted by changing the saturation and contrast.
Country By Design's Blog 
Oh noes, what happened to the dahlias?
My sister-in-law decided one day while I was at work that I needed help weeding my flower bed. When I got home, I still had weeds, but no dahlias. The one little forlorn shoot is still hanging on, but it misses its brothers and sisters.
Oh I'm so sorry about your dahilas! They are so pretty and I'm sure the highlight of your garden.
I did like the photos of the weeds very creative!
Oh no! That's terrible! Poor dahlias. What ever was she thinking? (Obviously she wasn't).
So sorry about your dahlias!! I know that is disappointing.
I'm still a little upset about the dahlias. Some people can't tell a weed from a flower unless it is blooming.
I threw creativity to the wind with the weeds. Didn't know where I was going until I got there! Glad you liked them.
She lives with us because she is mentally challenged. Sometimes I wish she wouldn't try so hard to be helpful. She means well, but hasn't a clue.
I hae a weed that grew up around a dripper and has beautiful yellow flowers. I moved the dripper over so it gets more water and today I put some feterlizer on it. It has a home here as any flowers I planted get eaten up and this flower hasn't.
I think I will survive, but I am really disappointed. I didn't plant very many flowers this year because I knew I was going to have knee surgery, so I was really looking forward to the dahlias.
Way to go! If it can survive, give it all the help you can. I wanted a couple more plants for my flower bed the week before I went to camp, but things were pretty picked over, so I got a couple of lantanas. I thought if you can make them grow, surely they will survive for me. Looking good so far.
Oh my lantans did so well last summer. I had them in pots on my back porch. Theya re used for a ground cover here. I love all the colors they come in.
I'm scheduled to have my right knee replaced on July 2nd.
What did you find out out Duke? Hope you got some good news!
So far mine seem to be yellows and oranges. They will look nice with the day lillies.
Oh, I hope your surgery goes very well. Keep us posted. We talk to the doctor from Duke on June 24th at 5:00pm. I will post about what I find out after we talk to her.
I had purple and orange lantana last year.
Hope you get some good news tomorrow. My surgery is scheduled for July 2nd.
It has turned hot and dry here, but the lantana look great.
I hope your surgery goes very well and that your recovery is speedy!
If lantana can survive here they should do very well for you.
Thank you. Please keep me in your prayers. I have to stop taking my anti-inflamatory meds tomorrow. I know I will be in a lot more pain. I bought an ice pack tonight.
They are getting a real test now. It looked like it was sure to rain last night, but it disappeared before it got here. I'm thinking about putting them out in my wagon flower bed. I "planted" plastic flowers out their this year because I knew I wouldn't feel like carrying water out to them. I bet they would look nice with moss roses.
I am so sorry. I will keep you in my prayers. I hope your surgery is going to go very smoothly.
We are getting into our monsoon season when we get rain…it is so hot over 100 every day. Be careful and don't over do with your knees being so bad. You are right though they are so pretty and bright and don't need too much water.
We were getting seriously dry around here, then we got almost 2 inches of rain on Sunday. It was a Godsend. I went out and pulled a few weeds and took a few pictures last night. It was a bit cooler. Only in the 80s today.
Thank you, Freedom. It means a lot to me to know that others are praying for me. I trust my doctor completely. I'm counting down the days!
I am sure you are. And they have come so far with the replacements that I bet you will be amazed at how well it will go!
I am really looking forward to being able to walk normally again. I can feel for you when you have days when you just don't feel up to doing anything.
Oh we have been in the 100+ and it is so hot..the clouds are coming in so maybe we will get some rain soon.
We had a few sprinkles this morning, but no serious rain for over a week.
We are over 90 days without rain..usually our summer rains start on July 4th but nothing so far…doesn't look like any chance of rain until the weekend now.
We had our last serious rain the last Sunday of June, then we got lucky last night. Started raining about 11:30, and we had 3 inches by the time it was finished. A miracle! I'll say a prayer that you get some, too.
Well we still haven't had any rain here…it has rained in Southern Arizona mostly south of here..it was very cloudy here today and humid but no rain at our place.
I noticed on the weather map last night that there was rain in the state, but I didn't know it any of it was close to you. Hot and humid but cloudy here today, too.
No rain at my place yet…there are some storm clouds in Tucson so maybe they will get up here later…* I sure hope so*
A friend is having a rain dance dinner and get to gether tomorrow evening…that could do it! Also I'm going to wash my car…I was going to do it now but it is way too hot. I went out to put the horse's hay out for later and almost burned my hand on the knife I use to cut the strings on the hay. It wasn't in the sun just picked up the heat form the metal building.
The grain bucket handles were so hot I could hardly pick them up…they were in the sun. It was over 80 this morning at 6:30 and yesterday morning too. We need some rain to cool us off.
I just shared a Coopers Hawk when I came in…I went back out with my camera but he was gone. Darn it!
Believe it or not, it was about the same temp here this morning. I went out and picked half a row of green beans, but that was all I could stand. Hubby went out later and put posts by the tomato plants and wanted me to tie them up. I was bushed by the time I got finished.
Hope you get some rain, soon. Doesn't look like anything here tonight.
Yes, I did my work this morning and struggled in the heat…I feed the chickens, clean the horse pens and turn-out, turn over their water buckets and fill them, water two of my night blooming cactus by hand, clean out the bird feeder and fill it, add water to my fountain then I'm done.
It is raining right behind us now…but it might miss us you just never know.
Glad you can get everything done before it gets so hot. I walked out to the mailbox a bit ago. That was enough for me.
I rode this morning, then gave JR a bath and took some photos of him. Then I cleaned my saddle, bottle containers and cantle bag…I put some velcro patches on my helmet to hold on my visor…can you guess what I'm getting ready for? I'm leaving tomorrow for a couple of days in New Mexico…I need to do a post on this.
Oh, you should. Do show us all about it.
Will do in a few.