Welcome to Morning Tour in My Garden!

I photographed early this morning some views of my garden.

The overall outlook is not very lush because I have rearranged the plantings a lot.

The summer is not the best season to replant, but it is much nicer to do in a lovely weather.

Lavatera thuringiaca and Veroniga virginica ’Alba’  grow besides ’Diabolo’.

In front of our terrace there are blooming Phlox paniculata ’Lilac phlox’ and

clematis  integrifolia 'Petit Faucon’. Sometimes this clematis has five petals

but this summer mostly four. Its seedheads are very decorative!

 The funniest plant in bloom is Dipsacus fullonum.

It self seeds moderately and pops up in unexpected places. I like it and let it grow.

Tradescantia Andersoniana-group plants are also funny and I like them.

But somehow they are challenging to photograph. I have four colours of them.

My other phloxes grow in a shady bed, so they are not yet in full bloom.

The cherries are ripe and we are getting a LOT of plums!

Two years ago I replanted my daylilies and don’t know who is who.

That is why I have some growing in pots in order to group them better this summer.

They are still in bud.

To finish a photo from earlier years. Wishing you a colourful weekend!

- riitta

// SOMMERGLÜCK
// WEDNESDAY AROUND THE WORLD

Sightseeing: Luomus

This elephant welcomes the visitor in the lobby.

Grandchild & his parents were on holiday, so we did sightseeing in Helsinki.

Lapsenlapsi vanhempineen oli lomalla ja katseltiin paljonkin pääkaupunkia.

Natural History Museum - LUOMUS is located in Etu-Töölö, very near to the center of Helsinki.
The decorative building of neobaroque used to be a Russian boy's gymnasium in 1913-1917 

when we belonged to Russia as Grand Duchy of Finland. 

Neobaroque style was uncommon for turn-of-the-century Russian constructions 

and is rare in Helsinki. Perhaps it was for this reason, that the building was preserved 

during the tumultuous early years of our independence, unlike many other buildings 

that were reminiscent of Russian rule.

In 2005 the entire museum building was emptied and closed from the public 

for nearly three years. The basis of the complete renovation was to conserve the building 

and “to peel out” the original flamboyance of the premises. I have not visited the museum 

after the renovation, so my astonishment was great.  Luomus is fantastic and 

an endless source of information! The museum was filled with families, and indeed, 

it offers kids a near perspective to the nature and also an insight to climate change 

& what to do to prevent it.

Skeletons, stuffed animals, large showcases where animals
are in their natural environment... Knowledge about climate change, birds,
mammals, insects, prehistoric animals ... You name it!

EPILOGUE

You have traveled with this exhibition for billions of years from the wonderful starters 

of life to today's Finnish landscape. You have seen brief glimpses of incredible strides 

in the history of life that have been filled with shocking upheavals, 

constant change and unexpected twists.

The whole globe and its diverse life is full of memories of the past. 

Life history research constantly adds new, more accurate information about life's development 

and changes on the planet. In the light of new information, 

old results and perceptions are always reassessed - science checks and corrects itself.

// WILLY-NILLY  // ALL SEASONS // MOSAIC MONDAY // IMAGE-IN-ING
// MAKROTEX CHALLENGE - Loma, Vacation

Friday Bliss #46 - Hot in Colours, too!

The week has been hot, but fortunately not as hot as in southern Europe.

Our 30 C is tolerable but nearly 40 C would not be, at least not for me.

In the garden the colours turn stronger, although my orange daylilies don't bloom yet.

First ones to start bold August colours are hollyhocks, in red and black.
I bought seeds of ’Nigra’ but one is this fabulous red.
Snails or slugs eat up their leaves but in spite of that they bloom.

Eryngium alpinum seems so hard that you doubt if there is any nectar for bees.
But this guy was there for a long time changing from one flower to another.
He was a bit too quick for me :)

This year Ligularia przewalskii looks very modest, so this photo is from last year.

Here is a traditional old Phlox that we call Lilac phlox. This is high and slender needing

a support sometimes. Precisely lilac colour but no lilac fragrance though.

❤︎❤︎❤︎

I wish it gets a bit cooler for you who have it too hot.

Happy weekend!

- riitta

 #FRIDAY BLISS 

The link is open

FROM FRIDAY 7 AM TILL THE NEXT TUESDAY 4 PM
Helsinki time

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Strolling Along the Local River

I love to stroll along the banks of this Kerava river. Late July most wild flowers 

were on their way to withering, but I spotted a good variety of them.

The air was sweet of the fragrance of Filipendula ulmaria, turning brown...
The colouring was yellowish, August-like...

... Tanacetum vulgare ...

... some Calamagrostis ...

... Matricaria chamomilla ...

... Centaurea jacea, some Solidago ...

... a lot of Chamaenerion angustifolium ...

... Cirsium heterophyllum ...

I'm so greatful and happy that I can walk again. Last year in July
I used wheel chair after my bad ankle fracture. It took 10 months until
I could walk properly. The ankle has cured well, only going downstairs the stairs
the ankle is stiff and causes a bit trouble. But I don't complain!

// WANDERING CAMERA
// NATUR-DONNERSTAG 
// LITTLE THINGS THURSDAY

// THANKFUL THURSDAY