Macro Flowers Saturday # 21-Mums flowers, colorful chrysanthemums

Herzlich willkommen is German for Welcome!

But it feels different, much warmer. In a free translation it means "I welcome you with all my heart!" This time, I welcome you with a heart of mums.

I couldn't find and English equivalent of this greeting in words, so I used our universal language, the image.

The gorgeous chrysanthemums, or just mums, are blooming already, meaning that autumn is not so far.

Chrysanthemum is considered the queen of fall flowers and I can see why.
When all beautiful summer flowers fade, mums compensate us with their amazing color explosion, that lasts till winter.

Did you know that:
People, speaking several languages, almost never use just one language in their conversations. Sometimes, a word in a language is not so powerful that its corespondent in another language. Mixing languages, you can give a more deep meaning to your thoughts and its a natural thing to do it.
Well, that's not possible in blogland, that's how I came to the idea to compensate with some picture editing.


Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.

First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.
Badges are in the sidebar:
- use the widget installer button (add to sidebar) if you like, for one click installation in Blogger blogs.
- to install the badge in your blog post copy/paste the code manually from the box, while working in Html mode of the post editor.
- here is a simple text link too:

<a href="http://flowers-macrophotography.blogspot.com">Macro Flower Saturday</a>

I reserve the right to delete entries with inappropriate content or incorrect backlink, without any more warning. Please, don't enter your homepage url to the list, but the Macro Flowers Saturday post link!

Great weekend to you all!

Read more >>

Pink orchid-Phalaenopsis pink

My pink orchid is beautiful too but nothing like the white one.
Though it has five stems and many flowers, these are not so beautiful as the white orchid.

While new buds are opening, some of them, especially at the end of the old branches are drying out and falling down. It is visible in the next picture.
It was not so obvious last week, when I bought this orchid.
Probably, it is the result of the high temperature we had at that time.

Its branches are growing in all directions, its difficult to have them all in the lens.

Read more >>

Under the Hollyhock-Hollyhock pictures

Colorful hollyhocks are such a beautiful view in every garden corner.
I found shelter from the rain under a balcony, and the place was full of these beautiful hollyhock flowers.

Read more >>

Macro Flowers Saturday #20-White orchid

Welcome to Macro Flowers Saturday on this beautiful weekend!

Many thanks to all of you for your beautiful contributions to this meme. Here is mine for today:

Orchids come to us from the Netherlands.
This gorgeous white orchid variety is the Phalaenopsis. I just bought two of these amazing flowers today, a white and a pink one. Looking for care, I visited the Orchid info side, when I found this lovely description about how the Dutch botanist Dr. C.L. Blume found this flower:

The genus Phalaenopsis was described in 1825 by Dutch botanist Dr. C.L. Blume, who was employed at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Buitenzorg (now called Bogor) on the island of Java. The story goes that on one of his expeditions he saw a group of butterflies that were virtually motionless around a tree. These turned out to be orchids and he later called them Phalaenopsis amabilis. Amabilis means charming. The genus name Phalaenopsis means 'like a butterfly or moth' and is derived from the Greek words 'Phalaina' (moth) and 'opsis' (similar to).

This plant originally came from Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Australia.
In the wild Phalaenopsis grows in trees, without taking any nutrition from its host. It can also be found growing in very well aerated soil such as humus and on rocks and rock clefts, generally near streams and rivers.
I need all the help to keep these beauties alive in our climate.
For now my main concern is to keep the room temperature as low as I can in the 36C (96.8F) summer heat we are having right now.
Any advice is welcome concerning care, please leave me some tips from your experiences.

Sorry for the late posting and late commenting, I'm moving very slowly in this heat.
Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.
First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.
Badges are in the sidebar:
- use the widget installer button (add to sidebar) if you like, for one click installation in Blogger blogs.
- to install the badge in your blog post copy/paste the code manually from the box, while working in Html mode of the post editor.
- here is a simple text link too:

<a href="http://flowers-macrophotography.blogspot.com">Macro Flower Saturday</a>

I reserve the right to delete entries with inappropriate content or incorrect backlink, without any more warning. Please, don't enter your homepage url to the list, but the Macro Flowers Saturday post link!

Great weekend to you all!

Read more >>

Pot Marigold-Calendula officinalis

The ancient Calendula officinalis - Pot Marigold is well known everywhere, in warm temperate regions of the world, as a much appreciated plant for medicinal and culinary purposes.

Pot Marigold, also known as Holigold, Bride of the Sun is in the same family (Asteraceae) as daisies and chrysanthemums and it is not related to the garden flowers that we usually call marigold (Tagetes).

Its long history of cultivation makes its precise origin unknown, but in earlier times Persians, Greeks, Romans and Indian cultures used the flowers and leaves as a medicinal herb as well as a dye for fabrics and foods.

In Macer's Herbal it is stated that only to look on Marigolds will draw evil humours out of the head and strengthen the eyesight. Here is an the English translation completed in about 1373:

'Golde [Marigold] is bitter in savour
Fayr and zelw [yellow] is his flowur
Ye golde flour is good to sene
It makyth ye syth bryth and clene
Wyscely to lokyn on his flowres
Drawyth owt of ye heed wikked hirores
[humours].
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Loke wyscely on golde erly at morwe [morning]
Yat day fro feures it schall ye borwe:
Ye odour of ye golde is good to smelle.'

Macer's Herbal (De Viribus Herbarum) is a handwritten manuscript, probably written sometime in the 10th or 11th century. The work is usually attributed to Odo, Bishop of Meung as his name appears on the 12th- century manuscript located in Dresden.

Pot Marigold uses:

Calendula herbal tea:

Infusion: one tablespoon of dried flowers per cup of hot water. Drink 2 to 4 cups each day for intestinal problems and to clean lymph and blood. It can be applied locally for skin disorders.

The edible Calendula flower petals, either fresh or dry, are used in all kind of food recipes, in salads or to add color.

Plant extracts are also widely used in cosmetics, due to presence of compounds such as saponins, resins and essential oils.

Visit Scenic Sundayfor beautiful scenery and Macro Flowers Saturday for amazing macro flowers' world.

Read more >>

Moss Rose Purslane - Portulaca - Macro Flowers Saturday #19

Welcome to Macro Flowers Saturday on this beautiful weekend!

Many thanks to all of you for your beautiful contributions to this meme.

Portulaca grandiflora - Moss Rose Purslane on its common name is one of my favorite flowers.
When I was a little girl, I always brought home some of these beautiful flowers, found on the streets, and planted them in my little girl garden.
This beautiful little plant, the Moss rose, comes in every color of the rainbow, except blue.
Moss roses open only during bright sunlight and close at night and on cloudy days, hence their other name: sun rose.

With the brilliant colors of the blooms and the bright-green fleshy leaves they make an amazing ground cover in garden edgings or yards.
Single or double-flowered, portulaca flowers steal the show in places they are planted.

The pretty little plant doesn't need much care; it stores humidity for dry weather in its pointed, cylindrical leaves and is very happy in bright sunlight.

Moss-rose Purslane is a lovely ornamental plant as an edging along a walkway, as well as a container plant.

Have a look at these these pictures of colorful, double, Portulaca cultivars along the sidewalk.

Great weekend to you all!

Read more >>

Larkspur-Delphinium consolida flower

Larkspur - Delphinium consolida, this old-fashioned cottage flower belongs to the many July flowers, according to flower experts.

Though modest and delicate, the larkspur flowers, with their long spur behind the petals are a beautiful addition to any colorful bouquet, even if they don't last long in the vase.

In fact, I just received such a bouquet, which was the inspiration for this post.

The showy Delphinium flowers come in many colors, from white to blue to violet.

Delphiniums are part of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae.
The name Delphinium, comes from the Latin for dolphin and refers to the shape of the flower bud.

Though all parts of the plant are poisonous, extracts of it have been used in herbal medicine, in small amounts.
Also, the contained alkaloid delphinine toxin has no effect on domestic sheep but is the major cause of cattle poisoning.

Read more >>

Flowering Trumpet Vine-Campsis radicans

The Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans) or Trumpet creeper is blooming and it is a beautiful addition on sections of buildings, walls, and fences.
Its bright orange and scarlet, trumpet-shaped flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds, hence its other name-hummingbird vine. Many other types of birds like to nest in the dense foliage.

Trumpet Vine is excellent in preventing soil erosion, though it can be invasive too. The Trumpet Creeper puts out huge numbers of tendrils that grab onto every available surface and expand into woody stems several centimeters in diameter, even killing trees they climb on.

Read more >>

Macro Flowers Saturday #18-Golden roses

Welcome to Macro Flowers Saturday on this beautiful weekend!

Many thanks to all of you for your beautiful contributions to this meme.

Though some roses ended their spring blooming season, others are blooming continuously, all summer.

Here are some golden roses:


They will all come back for the second spectacular bloom season in fall.

Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.

First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.

Badges are in the sidebar:
- use the widget installer button (add to sidebar) if you like, for one click installation in Blogger blogs.
- to install the badge in your blog post copy/paste the code manually from the box, while working in Html mode of the post editor.
- here is a simple text link too:

<a href="http://flowers-macrophotography.blogspot.com">Macro Flower Saturday</a>

I reserve the right to delete entries with inappropriate content or incorrect backlink, without any more warning.

Great weekend to you all!

Read more >>

Cosmos flowers

Cosmos flowers are at their flowering peak and this also means that summer is almost over.
They are part of the Asteraceae family, like sunflowers, Daisies and Asters.
This is the Cosmos bipinnatus, commonly known as Mexican Aster, with its broad ray florets and fine foliage of feathery leaves. In Hungarian, we call them butterfly flowers, because their petals are so delicate and easily carried by the wind.
The brightly colored flowers come in many variations, from white to different shades of pink and dark red.
Here are a few:




Visit Today's Flowers for beautiful flower shots.

Read more >>

Daylilies-Hemerocallis

Daylilies belong in the plant family Hemerocallidaceae, native to Asia. They are not members or the Liliaceae family, such as Lilium (true lilies).

Orange daylily-Hemerocallis fulva is the most common daylily, often seen along roadsides.
The scientific name for daylily is Hemerocallis, derived from two Greek words meaning "beauty" and "day," referring to the fact that each flower lasts only one day. To make up for this, there are many flower buds on each daylily flower stalk, and many stalks in each clump of plants, so, the flowering period of a clump is usually several weeks long.

Hybridizers have made great improvements in daylilies obtaining colors ranging from near-whites, pastels, yellows, oranges, pinks, vivid reds, crimson, purple, nearly true-blue, and fabulous blends. Many cultivars have more than one flowering period and are known to bloom from late spring until autumn.

These daylilies are cultivated forms of the wild types of daylilies which are growing as if they are wild, being able to survive with very little care.

Though they are beautiful perennial plants, suitable for all types of landscapes, my favorites are still the true lilies like Regal lily, Fire lily and Oriental lily.

Read more >>

Macro Flower Saturdays #17-Hollyhock-Alcea rosea

Welcome to Macro Flowers Saturday!

Many thanks to all of you for your beautiful contributions to this meme.

These lovely pink hollyhock flowers are my contribution for today.
The old-fashioned Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) are one of the oldest flowers known.
It's a stunning sight to see their beautiful blooms in a summer landscape.
Esteemed as a colorful cottage plant, the hollyhock is a visual delight wherever it is planted, at the front door, the garden gate, backyard garden, along the fence or just by the border of the sidewalk like these ones.




Hollyhock flowers are an irresistible source of inspiration for painters of all times, including myself.
See my hollyhock painting at this link if you wish and have the time.

Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.

First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.

Badges are in the sidebar:
- use the widget installer button (add to sidebar) if you like, for one click installation in Blogger blogs.
- to install the badge in your blog post copy/paste the code manually from the box, while working in Html mode of the post editor.
- here is a simple text link too:

<a href="http://flowers-macrophotography.blogspot.com">Macro Flower Saturday</a>

I reserve the right to delete entries with inappropriate content or incorrect backlink, without any more warning.

Have a great weekend!

Note: I've came across several technical glitches on Blogger this weekend, like the verification code being accepted after the 5th, 6th attempt, or followers gadget not working. There were other problems too, as you can see in the comments.
This huge empire called the world wide web is ruled by genius, but still human, so please, have a little patience.

Read more >>

Shasta daisy delight

The Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum) needs no description. I think, I could never add more beautiful words as they tell themselves.
Here is an amazing, double-flowered variety of Shasta daisy, the Leucanthemum × superbum "Wirral Supreme", though the simple one is already beautiful enough for me.



Shasta daisies were transferred from genus Chrysanthemum to their own genus of Leucanthemum because they lack some traits of true Chrysanthemums, like their distinct odor, which some find unpleasant.


Visit Scenic Sunday and Today's flowers for many beautiful scenery.

Read more >>