Orchids

www.carolingrammoore.com ~ www.facebook.com/CarolIngramMoore

My grandmother was the inspiration for gardening. She seemed to be able to grow just about anything she planted. The last few years, I have been fascinated with orchids. At first, we danced around and weren't quite sure this relationship was a good thing. I pursued and several years later, I found a method that works for me and the orchids. They like what they like including sunlight, fertilizer,  and attention.  Here are some of my orchids.

                                      All of these orchids are repeat bloomers except one.

                                        This orchid has been blooming since March 2019 when
                                 I purchased it a Milmount Nursery in Stuarts Draft, Virginia.

Summer Flowers

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What's growing in your garden?
Inside one of the older orchids is blooming and continues to surprise us with lots of blossoms.

 On the upper deck of the house, I have been adding some flowers to attract pollinators.

The petunias are especially enjoyed by the hummingbirds. The silver plant is curry. The large green leaves and orange blossoms are nasturtiums grown from seed.

 I grow lavender from seed in the green house. This year, it has been very healthy. These plants are three varieties of lavender I was not familiar with. I grow a lot of lavender in pots as our area is so wet. I will plant mumstead in the garden that has lots of stones and sunlight.

 This amazing begonia was purchased from the Four Seasons Greenhouse in Big Stone Gap.

 Feverfew is growing in several places in the gardens. This feverfew has a visitor.

Rarely will a day lily survive in our gardens due to the deer. This year a few have actually survived. This is the area near the woods and one of the gardens with large ferns and few flowers.

                   This bee balm is just about as tall as I am and enjoying this wet weather.

                                  St. John's Wort that travels down the mountainside.

 Thyme grows at the base of a tree with some very interesting native plants.

 A very small wildflower in the dianthus family grows amid the grass and violets.

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Iris Blooming

 It's Iris blooming time in our mountains of Southwest Virginia.  Most of the iris were given to me by a friend. I started an iris bed and then I simply put them in various places throughout the gardens.

     Most of the iris are bearded iris which are very tall and have many gorgeous blooms.

 This is a patch of smaller iris, I think Siberian iris, which I transplanted many years ago. These have really spread in this location. Surprisingly, deer and other critters do not like iris!

There were a few more : a very pale violet and a solid white. There were also early purple bearded iris which have already bloomed. The rain added quite a bit of joy to the iris.

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Creating in the Studio

www.carolingrammoore.com ~  www.facebook.com/CarolIngramMoore

Having recently had an accident, I haven't been in the studio. Then, last week, I began to create new class jewelry. The kiln has been cooking every day for awhile. Sharing some of the new work....

                                             The pendants are made with new dichroic glass.

                         This one is my favorite and has bits of blue intermingled with the green.

                     The lighting in the studio created the shadow across the face of the bird.

                                      I am just playing around with scraps of dichroic glass.

                                             
                                              I made several plates from a small mold.

      New Christmas tree ornaments are in the kiln and then lots of earrings with the new glass.