Crazy cool flowers on this bush in the side garden at Lillstreet. The flowers may be stringy & short-lived… but they were so very cool while they were around. I didn’t know what they were… but with a little help from my dear friend Google… apparently it’s a Bottlebrush Buckeye!

A few more wall pocket planters making the greenery hang higher! Specially made with some drainage holes for soil & plants… usually I make them without holes for flowers in a vase. Loving how this trio has some cascading vines working their magic. Thanks Patty for sharing your green thumb!

Looks like my coleus cuttings are really taking hold… who knew it was this easy??? Just water! I think I’ve just effectively doubled the number of coleus plants on my front porch!!!

More than a little rain as I pedaled through my morning ride. Not much of a sunrise to speak of. Just lots of clouds… and some rain towards the end of my ride. Happy to be greeted by these lilies in the garden across the street when I got home. All of us wet.

Another totem pole finds it’s new home!

My friend Chris finally got around to having her new totem pole installed into her front yard! It looks pretty great standing as a sentinel to greet guests surrounded by her blooming flower bed!

A wonderful surprise every year… a crazy-cool spiked flower blooming in my front yard garden! It’s called bear’s breeches, sea dock, bearsfoot or oyster plant. It has really cool leaves and this amazing flower stalk. Such a cool addition to my garden… thanks to my gardening friends down in Peoria!

The coleus plants on my front porch are all growing so well… so I just chopped them all down!!! Okay, so maybe “pruned” them is a better phrase… but here are the cuttings that I’m going to try rooting. My Peoria gardening friends to it all the time… so I figure if I can even get half of them to root I’m doing good!

Enjoying late afternoon flowers on the back porch. Vibrant & fragrant bee balm flowers & furry smoke bush clippings in a soda-fired ikebana vase… and a mini hosta in a handmade flower pot!

Some colorful coleus leaves on my front porch…
Mother Nature’s striking entry for another TEXTURE TUESDAY!

Not quite as fragrant, but loving the wonderful colors, patterns & structure to this bi-color iris that is still blooming in my front yard garden! Gotta love iris season!