Floribunda~

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, Flowers, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES

The flower is
the stem’s cry of beauty
to the universe.
-Vassilis Comporozos

Thimbleberry flower, Washington State.

These pink and red poppies

were also found bursting in bloom in Washington state.

We can’t grow peonies at The Holler, but I buy them in season,

to display in bouquets.

Holler white rose.

Holler sweet peas.

We had loads of blooms this year due to the wonderful rain.

Rhododendron Washington State.

Cheers to you from summer’s smiling flowers~

250 thoughts on “Floribunda~”

  5. Oh Cindy! That thimbleberry was fresh and new to me!
    And my husbands grandmother used to grow peonies and I half liked them! Pretty blooms but a weird look to their shrub!
    Your blooms here were so pretty

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  6. Wonderful. Even the little sweet peas – they don’t compare to the others in looks – but I could smell their sweet scent. Beautiful close-ups. Who would think that a thimbleberry would be so beautiful?

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    1. The thimbleberry was new to me and it is one of those amazingly beautiful tissue paper flowers. So pleased you enjoyed! I have vases of the sweet peas around the house and I so love their scent 🌻

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  14. Beautiful flowers. My peonies don’t last long and they get so covered with the ants that are necessary for them to open. I rarely have enough pretty flowers to bring inside. You have some gorgeous flowers there.

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  15. Anonymous

    What a glorious array of colour. I love Peonies. They are such a gorgeous array of lushiouness (if there is such a word). Rich, beautiful perfume and a larger than ordinary roses makes them well worth growing. Rhododendrons are not far behind them as a wonderful flower to grow.

    Looks like all the rain you had was a real boost to your garden 🙂

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  18. My grandmother planted peonies at our house when I was a child. They were always in perfect bloom for Memorial Day, when we would visit the graves of our relatives. Lovely pictures. Thanks.

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  25. Hi Cuz, you know I like the hummers…, mini-miracles☘ have you been affected by the earthquake or are you far enough away from them? ☹ Hugs x 100🌺

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    1. The quakes have not us affected us, yet. Thank you for caring cuz. There have been quite a cluster though, hundreds and hundreds of small quakes. Another sizeable one is expected. It is just a question on when, in Cali, of course, regarding a really big San Andreas quake, but risk is calculated in geologic time, so 1000 years isn’t even a whisper. Still there is a lot of activity and it makes you check your earthquake supplies. Hugs back to you & hope you are well <3

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    1. Thank you! I so love sweet peas. Lately I have been gone when they need to be planted, but this year I wasn’t. And I am so thrilled to have them. Their scent and everything about them makes me happy. Wonderful to hear from you & I hope you are well <3

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  30. I adore white flowers, so the Thimbleberry flower and the Holler white Rose are the most beautiful to me, though all of them are gorgeous. Wonderful photos, Cindy, as ever 🙂

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    1. It was new to me also. I wish I was there when the berries ripen. I would love to taste one. They are native plants and look a lot like raspberries but are not the same.

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  47. The sweet peas lined the roads on the way to Foresthill last weekend. We stopped near my dad’s house to shoot a few with my camera and managed to get a few monarchs in the process! I love the peonies, well I love them all, Cindy!

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  48. I am a harsh critic of flower photos because most that I see are simply not good. The outer two-thirds from the pistil are typically soft, blurry and fuzzy. The outer petals have no detail or clarity. A flower is a beautiful thing to see in all of its colorful glory, but most photographers are not able to capture the essence of that beauty. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the focal distance, or possibly the wrong lens. Whatever the reason, a decent image is difficult to capture.

    Having said all that, may I say that these photos were a pleasure to view.

    Cindy, can you share any tips on how you captured these photos? Focal distance? Macro lens? Depth of field? Or maybe just plain skill?

    Anyway, I wasn’t going to bother clicking on this post because flower pics usually disappoint me, but your talent and skill have been consistently showcased on this blog so I wasn’t surprised by the images posted.

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    1. Your comment are so kind and thoughtful, they left momentarily speechless. Thank you very much for taking time to share such encouraging thoughts with me, and they do encourage me. You make me happy I posted.
      For outside flowers (and wild animals and birds), I always use my Sony HX400. The 400 has a variable zoom lens that can reach up 1200mm equivalent with no tripod necessary. The outdoor flowers you see here were taken at the maximum zoom possible to maintain focus. The indoor photos were taken with my Sony RX10 M4. I use flash and a black background to bring out the depth of color. I always crop photos and adjust contrast to bring the flowers glory forward.
      I do agree with you, flowers are such perfect things, all we need to do as photographers is not let our photos get in the way of their beauty.
      Thank you very much for your thoughtfulness and it is lovely to meet you.

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  51. Thanks to your photos, I can smell the fragrance of these beautiful flowers. How I love them all. Here in NE the peonies were amazing this year. When I lived in the SF Bay area, I adored the poppies. Sometimes the beauty of roses just makes me cry joyfully.

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  59. Pingback: Floribunda~ — Truly gorgeous photographs from Cindy Knoke…be sure you don’t miss a single one. | Rethinking Life

  64. Hi Cuz,
    The Flowers and the pics are gorgeous. I’m assuming that all are growing in your back yard. Are you anywhere near where all the quake activity is taking place??? Concerned !

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  67. Your article on the flowers in your area is certainly beautiful and very welcome from another flower lover. I am a seed/bulb/cutting collector and I try to especially find anything from flowers that I can plant and encourage to grow. Years ago I dug up some violets from a lot where an old mobile home was to be moved. I took them with me when I moved to another nearby city, and planted them in my yard. I cannot believe how quickly they spread, and they grow huge even in soil I thought was not that great. I love all flowers, and it is such a joy to grow them and watch them come to bloom. In this world of everyday worries and concerns, it is such a refreshing break to remember the beauty and peace that flowers bring into our lives. Thank you most kindly.

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    1. Oh, I so love your comments! ”
      In this world of everyday worries and concerns, it is such a refreshing break to remember the beauty and peace that flowers bring into our lives.”
      Yes indeed! Flowers speak to us of timeless hope and lift our spirits accordingly. I can well imagine your joy seeing the orchards grow and flourish. Where we live there are 60+ year old almond trees, tangerine trees, roses and camellias, in addition to the old orchards. I often wonder about who planted and cared for these other trees. Obviously someone who maintained the orchards and wanted even more growing trees around. What a wonderful gift this person left us <3

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  72. Summer flowers! Good that you have rain this time of year in your Holler (Washington State usually has rain, from what I recall when I lived there). We have the East Coast thunderstorms with 1, 2, 3 inches at a time. Lovely to get under the metal roof of the porch just before the clouds open up, then sit with our ice coffee while the storm passes. – Oscar

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  74. Beautiful look at these floral beauties, Cindy. The center of the white, thimbleberry flower really attracted my attention. <3

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  81. Cindy, I can almost smell them from here. If you find yourself in Washington in April, check out the Tulip Festival at La Conner. There is field after field of tulips with Mount Rainer in the background. It is stunning. When visiting a cousin who lives in Everett, she took me to the festival and the photos I got were amazing so I know yours would be even better. For a preview, I found this link. https://youtu.be/PsNXjUWTTVI Bisous mon amie. <3

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    1. Oh it looks like the Keukenhof Gardens in The Netherlands which are so incredible. The largest tulip garden in the world. I will add La Conner to my bucket list and hopefully visit someday. Thanks for the tip & all the best to you dear Lea <3

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      1. I’ve been to the Netherlands and you are correct. I do hope you make it up there, I’m selfish, I want to see your photos! 😉 <3

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  84. I also love peonies! Those are gorgeous and that white rose is lovely. Those reminded me of my fathers funeral by now. Specially that Rose would be very beautiful on the coffer. Flowers are with us in joy and in sadness!

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  93. Reblogged this on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine and commented:
    What a wonderful way to end July with fabulous images from Cindy Knoke, The flowers are stunning and the sweet peas and peonies are probably my favourites.. Anyway your segway into August and if you head over to Cindy you can read about their water disaster while they were away… and enjoy more pictures of the Holler.. but be warned.. once you are in Cindy’s archives you will be there for a while… #recommended

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    1. Awwwww……You are the sweetest friend and you have touched my heart. Thank you dear Sally for your thoughtful, generous friendship, and be well always <3 <3

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