Garden Photo of the Day

A Special Kind of Sunshine

By Kim Charles

Rosa 'Winter'

Lillian Ho has found her own form of sunshine by choosing plant varieties featuring the color yellow.

"Vancouver had 26 raining days in October and it is a records. November is still counting and not better. I am looking for the sunshine of my heart in my garden."

 

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Hardy cactus

Current

Peony 'Gold Mine'

Erythronium 'Pagoda'

Rosa 'About Face'

Sunflower

Uvularia grandiflora colchicacea

Sunflower 'Teddybear'

Yellow Beareded Iris 'Early Light'

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Comments

  1. user-4691082 11/29/2016

    Dear Lillian,
    What a beautiful variety of yellows! I especially love the photo of the current. At first, I thought they were grapes! It's raining here, in PA today. We really need the rain, so we're happy not to see sunshine! Thank you for your post- it really brightened my day!!!

    1. frankgreenhalgh 11/29/2016

      Hey Rhonda - hope that turkey wasn't tough like our Emu! 'Here's looking at you kid' - Kind regards, Frank

      1. user-4691082 11/29/2016

        That is hysterical! You Aussies are the pinnacle of funny! Our Thanksgiving was great..thanks for asking!

      2. User avater
        LindaonWhidbey 11/29/2016

        Too funny, Frank.

    2. user-6536305 11/29/2016

      I totally agree with you Rhonda that current is a beautiful shrub. I like its leaves as well as fruits.

  2. user-7007498 11/29/2016

    What beautiful pictures of wonderful plants. I love the erythronium 'Pagoda'. I have seen photos in catalogs, but it never looked as good as your picture. I have added it to my plant list to obtain. Your sunflower pictures are great.

    This is a cheery start to my day. We are getting rain here finally, and it is expected to rain today and tomorrow, a slow steady soaker. Only our 3rd rain since June, so I am so thankful.

    Thanks again for sharing your garden.

    1. User avater
      meander_michaele 11/29/2016

      We are on the same page about the rain, Kevin. We are having some gentle showers now as I type and actual thunderstorms are forecast for tonight. I am so grateful!

      1. User avater
        Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 11/29/2016

        Hooray for you guys! We had what looks like a soaking rain last night and I was concerned it would bypass PA and TN and be an Ohio phenomena.

        1. user-7007498 11/29/2016

          Thanks, Tim. Just got home from work. We had a nice steady rain all day. I decided to put the hose away for the season. Finally!

    2. user-6536305 11/29/2016

      Erythronium 'Pagoda' is a shady plant. Foliage is beautiful as well. Seems snail and slug resistant. Kind of slow. This plant is about 3 years old.

  3. User avater
    meander_michaele 11/29/2016

    What a delightful series of photos, Lililian. My heart did a little ping as I scrolled from one beautiful image to another. Yellow is such an uplifting color. I am especially enchanted by the last picture which captures the wonderful ying and yang of gardening. I have a yellow tall bearded iris that is one of the fall rebloomers and it is actually still offering up stalks, buds and flowers. It makes me smile evey time I walk past it now in November and see that sumptuous flower shape.

  4. User avater
    treasuresmom 11/29/2016

    I agree with others that the yellow brings sunshine to your garden. Your plants certainly look healthy. I know you are anxiously looking forward to spring and seeing it all again.

  5. user-3565112 11/29/2016

    Yellow seems to combine well with almost any color. The photo Rosa Winter combined by the surrounding plants is terrific. The yellow stands out but draws you in to the others. At least that's how I see that photo.
    Good work & good luck, Joe

    1. user-6536305 11/29/2016

      Sorry I made a mistake in the name of Rosa Winter. It is actually Rosa Winter Sun.

  6. user-7007366 11/29/2016

    Your garden is a ray of sunshine for me this morning, knee deep in snow and everything frozen solid. I can hear the cars warming up and driving over cracking layers of ice. So the yellow is a wonderful reminder!

  7. NCYarden 11/29/2016

    These are certainly some cheery pictures. What a nice collection of plants with a perpetual bright side. They are all quite beautiful.
    And do me one favor...blow some of that rain my way, pleeeeease.
    Thanks for sharing.

    1. user-6536305 11/29/2016

      56 out of 60 rainy days since October so far. Blow some of the rain out other way , pleeeeease.

  8. User avater
    Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 11/29/2016

    I was excited to see your name pop up, Lillian. What a treat to see your delightful collection of cheery garden photos. The photo of the cactus flower is absolutely stunning and I am crazy about your Uvularia. I've wanted U. perfoliata for a long time, and now I've seen some variegated Uvularia cultivars. One more plant genus to explore. Thanks for sharing your garden cheer!

    1. user-6536305 11/29/2016

      Uvularia is an easy shady plants. Foliage and flowers are all beautiful. Seems slug and snail resistant. A slow grower and this patch is about 4 years old.

      1. User avater
        Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 11/29/2016

        Thank you for the information, Lilian!

  9. tennisluv 11/29/2016

    Here for the first time after having watched this blog all summer. Moved into a new home with an awful existing (overgrown Boxwoods, Anise, Carissa Hollies & Junipers ONLY). So love all the colorful gardens ya'll post and am especially drawn to Lillian's yellow photos today. As with Tenn & PA, GA finally got rain after 40+ days without a drop. I can now begin to make my dream garden a reality ..., fingers crossed for regular rain.

    1. sheila_schultz 11/29/2016

      Welcome to GPOD Sonya, we're so happy to hear your voice! Have fun creating your new garden and don't forget to take some 'before' photos!

    2. frankgreenhalgh 11/29/2016

      Hello there Sonya - Great that you have commented today. Good luck creating your dream garden. It doesn't happen overnight, so take your time and enjoy the journey. Jeff's post on GPOD the other day (i.e. where he completed his garden in 12 months) is an exception.

      Love your 'ya'll' - stay tuned to GPOD and see some Aussie slang. Cheers, Frank

      1. user-6536305 11/29/2016

        Hey Frank so happy to see you in my post. You are so funny and make me laugh every time I read your comments. Especially like the puddle AZ map.

      2. tennisluv 11/29/2016

        I'll be on the five year plan at best.

    3. User avater
      LindaonWhidbey 11/29/2016

      Welcome, Sonya. We'll be welcoming your garden progress and as Sheila said, take lots of before photos. I wish that I had more.

    4. user-7007498 11/29/2016

      Welcome, Sonya. Hope to see photos of your garden some day. Just make sure you never stop dreaming.?

  10. frankgreenhalgh 11/29/2016

    Hi Lilian (am I correct with one 'l'?) - The sun may not be shining, but your passion for gardening shines through. Nice pics. Hope you don't mind me having a joke with my friend, Rhonda, on your post. Cheers, Frank

  11. sheila_schultz 11/29/2016

    I'm with you, Lillian, yellow blossoms make me smile too! It is such a happy color and your gorgeous blooms must make your gardens 'pop' with all of the rainy and drizzly days in Vancouver! It's always a delight to see your name pop up on GPOD... your photography is outstanding!

  12. schatzi 11/29/2016

    We sue have had a wet fall here in the PNW, haven't we. How do you keep your roses looking so gorgeous with all the rain? Everything is beautiful, but I especially like the Erythronium and the Uvularia. Beautiful garden.

  13. user-6536305 11/29/2016

    Thanks Diane! This is my second time plant herbaceous yellow peony. It never came out the first time. This one was planted 4 years ago and flowered this summer for the first time. It sends out yellow stems and the blooms are not that yellow - kind of white and kind of over rated.

    1. User avater
      LindaonWhidbey 11/29/2016

      Lilian, you might want to try Bartzella, an Itoh peony. Ours flowered the first year with beautiful yellow blossoms and unlike herbaceous peonies, they keep their leaves all summer and become an attractive bush.

      1. user-6536305 11/29/2016

        On the look for Bartzella, an Itoh peony. Thanks Linda!

      2. frankgreenhalgh 11/30/2016

        Hi Linda - that is a ripper peony!

        1. User avater
          LindaonWhidbey 11/30/2016

          Thanks, Frank. Ripper is a great way to describe 'Bartzella' or as I call it ' Godzilla'. Do they grow Itoh peonies in Australia? ' Corah Louise ' is another good one that is cream with a burgundy center. Does it take a long time to cook an emu?:)

          1. frankgreenhalgh 11/30/2016

            Hello Linda - We have all types of peony roses in Oz (tree, herbaceous & Itoh). I have one peony, but don't know which cultivar (originated from my grandmother's plant - so very old cultivar). Is emu tough? Well its like this, we simmer for a couple of hours the emu in a pot of water to which a rock is added. After the emu is cooked we throw it away and eat the rock. Cheers, Frank

          2. User avater
            LindaonWhidbey 11/30/2016

            That is a beautiful peony and the fact that it goes back to your grandmother is incredibly special, Frank. Thanks for the laugh about the emu:)

          3. user-6536305 12/01/2016

            This is sòoooooo beautiful and so special! From the look of its leave, it sure looks like a tree peony. How long do the blooms last?

          4. frankgreenhalgh 12/01/2016

            Hi there Lilian - Yes it is a tree peony. The original plant material may well have come from Germany (hopefully through Plant Quarantine), and the family has continually propagated it. Flowering occurs from mid-October to early November here in SE Australia. Thanks for your interest.

  14. user-6536305 11/29/2016

    The rose in the first cover photo is called Winter Sun. Sorry I made a mistake.

  15. User avater
    LindaonWhidbey 11/29/2016

    Thanks for the sunshine this morning, Lilian. We have had a lot of rain haven't we but it was welcome here after the dry, dry summer. Your photography is exceptional and I love the Erythronium. Always nice to see your posts.

  16. GrannyCC 11/29/2016

    Hi Lillian your garden is amazing. I love the yellow it is such a cheery colour. I live near Victoria, B.C. and we have had a wet Fall. Yesterday was lovely and sunny but back to gray and rainy today. Thanks for cheering up my morning.

  17. cynthiamccain 11/29/2016

    Wow, Lillian, you certainly brightened my day! We're finally getting some badly needed rain after a long dry spell, following a hot summer, so I'm enjoying the grey, wet weather, but I remember the rainy autumns and winters when we lived in the Pacific Northwest. You've found the perfect antidote with your bright and cheery blooms!

  18. wanderinggardener 11/29/2016

    Hi Lillian, not only do you have yellow, you have the most appealing shades of yellow. That iris is just heavenly. Thank you for naming your lovely plants as well.

  19. Meelianthus 11/29/2016

    Lilian, what a beautiful site! After two months of almost solid rain here in the PNW it is a promise of what might come - unfortunately many months from now! Your photos are lovely and your roses are outstanding. What an inspiring breath of sunshine you have given us this morning, thank you and I will certainly look forward to more from your gardens.

  20. Sunshine111 11/29/2016

    Loving all the yellow! It is such a cheery thing to see as it has been raining all day here in NH! A good thing by the way since we had a very dry year this year. A mini drought.

  21. Cenepk10 11/30/2016

    Lilian !!!! Those currants !!!! Rain ?
    Today was the FIRST day of rain since APRIL here. Count your blessings!!!!! Gorgeous sunshine ☀️!!!!! Gorgeous

  22. user-868463 11/30/2016

    Lilian, your garden is BEAUTIFUL!!! Thanks for cheering up my winter evening : )))!

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