Flowers in Transition

What used to be, is no more.  This is the last of the bearded iris which covered the plant, its predecessors leaving only the husks of their flowers behind.

One white rose on the oldest of my rose bushes.  This was an experiment - I decided not to prune it back to see what would happen.  I'm not doing that again.

Seeds turning into zinnias, with one remaining leaf from the paperwhites I moved after their season was over.

The hanging basket in the backyard oasis is a marvel.  Two pots of petunias and the remains of the spiky thing that survived two previous re-plantings only to flourish here, with the third.  

After their flowers were spent, I braided the leaves rather than cutting them down.  The little factories can continue to work, sending power to the bulbs for next year, while my garden looks tended and not just waiting for the end.

And then there are the sunflowers.  I planted them in all varieties; someday I'll remember to write down which seeds went where.

These are supposed to grow 8-10' tall.  

There will be orange ones and yellow ones and double flowering stalks and dainty smaller ones.  I'll be sure to post pictures.

We've been lucky to have mild temperatures thus far, and the seeds are loving it.  Never have so many come to fruition.  Perhaps the gods are sending some floral joy as we plod through these demon years.