Tuesday 29 January 2013

"I'm walking on sunshine..."

Yeayy!! 
The flower with its unique character and exquisite color collection is now in my garden!

Simply beautiful blue hydrangea.

I can fall in love with this flower over and over again.
Even these unopened buds are adorable, just like tiny blueberries!

It's fascinating to see the gradual change in color hues all in one plant! 
And this blue is about to get purplish in no time. 


It is interesting to note that the colors of the flowers are determined by the pH of the soil.

Alkaline soil produces these pinkish mauve flowers. 


Pinkish mauve has been my all time favorite color and it is wonderful to see it here on the petals :)




Check out the large flower-heads which are quite round and flat, unlike the usual mop-head.


Hydrangeas are not our native plant yet it is cultivated locally as an ornamental plant.
It would be a miracle if I would be able to maintain these temperate beauties till 
each and every flower-head blooms beautifully! 

My greatest challenge is to grow it permanently by my window
which happens to be my garden :)

Saturday 19 January 2013

New Kid on the Block!


Meet "Den"..


The Mini Dendrobium Hybrid



"Den" is the common abbreviated name for this beauty.





Never thought I would try my hands on orchids.. 
Just couldn't resist the charm of this cutie :)


Have a lovely weekend!


Monday 14 January 2013

Lantana


"Lantana"..
As it is commonly known,
Are very unique flowers.
Its scent, colors and shape are one of a kind.

Coming from the Verbena family,
Lantana flowers carry a distinct aroma.
Some people don't like it at all.
But I love it.


Buds awaiting to bloom looks like stars..


I chose yellow color to add zest to my garden :)
The broad spectrum of yellow,
From pale yellow to rich, deep royal yellow is outstanding..


With dainty and tiny florets shaped like trumpets.

This bloom has matured.
And its color has turned into rich royal yellow.

I can't resist buying the ones in shades of lilac and pink too.
They look so delicate and pretty.





 Even the 'twinkle star' buds look gorgeous!

And guess 'who' dropped-by while I was busy in the garden..
Little Swallow!!
Looking so fancy in dark 'sunglasses'..lol!!

Since I took pictures of Swallow for my last post,
I see them everyday same time at the same spot.
And ever willing to pose for me :)

I don't know much about birds.
But from my experience,
I must say Swallows are very friendly birds.


Have a good week ahead :)

Sunday 6 January 2013

Hello... Is it me you're looking for?

Look who came by today..
It's a bird!!
And she is so tiny..
I was looking out my window when I took the shots.
All I could see was her back..
In various shades of white, grey and teal,
Which I thought was beautiful :)

I wanted to see more of her,
So I began talking to her..
Oh! It worked! 
She started turning towards the sound direction..
Towards me.
And just look at that TURN!
Oh my goodness!
A 180-degree turn.. 
Straight into my lens!!!
And what a stern look she gave me.. haha!!

This is my first experience shooting a bird.
And I think this bird is loving the attention she was getting.
So she put up some 'show' for me.
Stretching her body all over..


Which is awesome..
As her colors are more apparent to see.

And before I knew it...
She was gone!
She took off after this last show.
I didn't get a chance to see her when she flew away.
Her tiny body must be light enough to speed off,
In just a blink of the eye.

Will I see her again?

Birds do come to my window quite often.
And most of the time I couldn't capture them.
Better chances next time,
I assured myself  :)

"That's the End, folks"
Have a lovely weekend!


A note of thanks to a good friend Willy Ronkes who identified the bird as a Swallow :)