Dragon Quest

Snapdragon quest, that is. This year's snapdragons were spectacular. These images are the best I've shot so far.

Volunteers and Shirley Poppies

Above: Reliable volunteer snapdragon

Like many gardeners, my potting soil gets recycled year after year. It must be full of old flower seeds from prior years of seed starting - you never know what might pop up. Last year, some old snapdragon seeds germinated in a pot I was ignoring. I continued to ignore the pot throughout the summer, as the plants I had planned take up enough of my time. I watered it once in a while, but it displayed the kind of "will to live" I like to see in a plant - the ability to thrive just in case I forget it exists for a few days.

Above: Reliable volunteer snapdragon aping Georgia O'Keefe

Today's photos feature the first volunteer snapdragon of 2010; oddly, the snapdragons I planted, on purpose, and have fussed over, have yet to bloom.

Above: A decidedly non-volunteer Shirley Poppy - the first of 2010