Sharon, as always you manage to capture beauty in your photos. I love your description of the woman as having great style. How I would love to be described that way, but there is little chance of that. Do you think its an inborn trait or something you can acquire?

All the photos are charming. The poppy is amazing but I love the close up of the succulent as well.

Pam I don't know how she does it but she can put together such an eclectic mixture of old, even broken things and they go together with eye-popping harmony and originality.
Here are some pics I took of her home a few years ago. (click to enlarge)

And a couple more from the garden:

She has such a knack for combining unusual old findings with imagination.

SharonCb

Beautiful!

Those are beautiful, Sharon. What is the white and purple flower that looks a lot like Bleeding Heart? I loved that one and the purple iris.

Annie

"What is the white and purple flower that looks a lot like Bleeding Heart? I loved that one and the purple iris."

Annie that's wisteria. She has it growing up over an archway as she does with many roses. I love wisteria and have finally got some to grow also in my garden, but mine is not at beautiful as hers. Her garden is a little cooler than mine as it's at a slightly higher altitude, and some plants such as camelias thrive there, but die in my garden.

SharonCb

Thanks, Sharon, I did a quick "google" and found that there are some varieties that even grow here in my zone 5.

Right now, the only things that are blooming here are daffodils:

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Tulips:

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Some very early and very small bleeding heart:

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And the first of the flowering almond blossoms, there are about a dozen on the tree right now, another week or so it'll be full:

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the crocus are gone and the hyacinth and lily of the valley aren't here yet, but they'll be ready in a couple of weeks. After that, the lilacs. Funny how I have only spring flowers in my yard, nothing in bloom after about June, when the iris finish up.

Annie

Annie you are so lucky to have daffodils and tulips .....and almond trees as well! I didn't realize you could grow almonds there as I always thought they grew only in Mediterranean climates. They look very much like my peach blossoms, of which I had only a few this year because the hot winds we had pretty much tore them apart.
But when I see them I also grab my camera for closeups.

I do miss those spring flowers although there are some places here up the mountain that have a cooler climate where some of those northern bulbs will grow.
I envy you having the scent of lily of the valley and lilac in your garden mmmmmmm!

SharonCb

Sharon, mine is something called Hall's Hardy Almond, they grow in Zones 5-8. They only get to be about 15 feet tall, so I get a bucket of almonds from them every year, maybe 2 gallons.

Well, I don't really, the squirrels seem to know the instant they are ready and then they are all gone in a shot, some years I don't get a single nut!

As you can see, though, the tree is pretty and the directions say it will grow where ever you can grow peaches. So, I keep it for the lovely spring blooms and if I get almonds, it's a double bonus, but I consider it mostly an ornamental.

Annie