Another “explosion” of color happening on my back porch.
Some beautiful gerbera daisies blooming in shades of red, orange & yellow!

Some beautiful blooms on my front porch this summer. I asked the garden “experts” what would be my best bet for a VERY shady porch situation. She suggested some “non-stop begonias.” I’m not sure if the “non-stop” part is just a marketing ploy… but I fell for it… and so far so good!!!

While all of the crab apple trees are done blooming,
there are a few remnants of Spring blooming here & there along the lakefront.
Like the horse chestnut trees and oak leaf hydrangeas.

This morning there was a new bloom in my front yard garden.
And I think it might be my new favorite. A beautiful, purple bearded iris.
Unfortunately, there is only one stalk of blooms… hoping for more next year!!!

Tiny flowers require a tiny pot.
And a miniature vase needs miniature stamps!!!
Lily-Of-The-Valley… a wonderful Spring scent.

A full batch of beautiful purple iris are blooming in my front yard.
They’ve been growing for a few years, slowly spreading into a nice mass of spiky leaves.
This is the first year they’ve decided to bloom so profusely… and a lot more buds in the making!

Thank you to everyone who came out to Schaumburg this weekend.
It was great fun to play with everyone in the park. So much fun to see my pottery going off to “live” in new homes. Saturday was beautiful & amazing. Sunday was spotty… and ended with a bit of rain.

All in all, another great art fair in Schaumburg…
and as a side benefit, my tent got “washed clean” at the same time?!!!
And now drying down in the basement before packing away for Hinsdale…

Here’s another batch of flower pots that just came out of the soda kiln.
These will be making their first trip to Schaumburg this weekend for the Prairie Arts Festival. Perfect timing for those gardeners out there who are looking for a nicer alternative to the basic orange terra cotta pot!!!

With a lot of clouds in the morning sky, it was a question of whether the sun would make it through or not. Luckily, it found a small window of opportunity. And we got a nice sunrise… before it disappeared again for the rest of the day.

Towards the end of the sunrise, I found another beautiful crab apple tree…
made a nice silhouette photos, as well as some beautiful floral shots with a nice morning glow.

With the crabapple trees in full bloom, there were continual whiffs of their fragrance wafting across the bike trail.

And sure the trees look nice in the sunlight…
but the flowers are pretty darn sweet up-close too!