a sea of coneflowers

Summer warmth encourages the bright color of coneflowers.

pink

A rose in Fuller Gardens wears shades of pink.

late blooming poppy

This late blooming beauty posed for me while I walked through its garden last week.

dog on premises

I loved this sign posted outside a store in Portsmouth, NH.

I didn't enter to see if the resident dog matched the sign.

on the street

As I walked in Portsmouth yesterday this fabric painting of a lone boat and its reflection caught my eye.

gardens of Portsmouth

It was a perfect morning for seeking the color and beauty of flowers.

I headed to Portsmouth, NH to visit the gardens of Prescott Park. I left my car at a lot on Market Street just off of I-95 and walked to the center of town, stopping to visit with flowers on the way. The first flowers to greet me were sunflowers.

I kept walking, with a destination of Prescott Park. The gardens there are amazing!

Echinacea (in many colors) were planted in several areas.

For more flowers, click to the gallery gardens of Portsmouth.

dreamy

A flower in pink stands tall in late day light.

patterns in reflections

Clouds and trees reflect in Field Pond in Harold Parker State Forest.

delicate

The petals of a cleome, also known as a spider flower, wear a delicate look.

photos! Fuller Gardens

I'll continue to share individual flowers from my visit to Fuller Gardens on Friday.

If you're interested in seeing the full set please click to the gallery Fuller Gardens :: 2020.

opening

While the lower petals of this dahlia are open, the center remains tightly closed.

dahlia delight

This morning the sky was wearing clouds and the forecast called for rain. As is often the case, I was looking for color so I headed to Fuller Gardens on the New Hampshire coast.

I drove, hoping that I would be able to visit but knowing that if the parking lot was full that I could continue up the coast to Portsmouth and Prescott Park. When the gardens opened late last month they blocked off every other parking space, guaranteeing social distancing for the cars. With only a small lot, I was unable to stop when I tried to visit two weeks ago; the parking lot was full and no parking is currently allowed along Route 1A.

Today I was the only visitor when I arrived. It was a treat to wander through the flowers alone.

The garden is known for its roses. There were roses in bloom but the flowers that really caught my eyes were the dahlias. A section of the garden running alongside of a greenhouse was full of dahlias in many shapes and colors. What an amazing flower!

a summer swing

Swinging feels like a sign of summer to me.

This colorful mural was created by Silvia Lopez Chavez. It lives on a wall in the neighborhood known as The Point in Salem, MA.

echinops

I'm fascinated by the progression of growth in echinops, also known as globe thistle. It starts as a very spiky flower, appearing to get softer as it grows older.

Its purple color is wonderful!

intertwined

Two flowers, intertwined, combine to form an interesting shape.

watching

This bunny was watching, ready to scamper if I moved too close.

clematis

A clematis in bright pink creates a splash of color.

a bit of whimsy

As I was walking in Portsmouth last week I found a bright pink flamingo decorating the lawn of a property under construction.

Whimsical things can create smiles, can't they?

red

A zinnia decorates the garden with a pop of red.

buildings reflected

The sky was blue, the air was quiet; both combined to create reflections in North Canal in Lawrence, MA.

lavender

Lavender is a color and a flower, a matched set.

two doors

As I walked down a narrow street in Portsmouth (NH) earlier today this set of red doors caught my eye.