Roses On A Wooden Wall

The roses obviously like the hot and sunny summer we’ve been having.

Geraniums

Picture taken at a Garden Centre where I went to buy flowers for my balcony.

Another Peony

Mosaic Monday: Wild Roses

For more Monday Mosaics, visit Mary’s Little Red House.

White Peony

Pink Peony

Mosaic Monday: Lupins

These are not “native” flowers in Sweden but by now widely spread. I remember them from my early childhood (and onwards) growing along the railway running by my grandparents’ house; but in many other places too, around Midsummer.

For more Monday Mosaics, visit Mary’s Little Red House.

To see the Summer Sky Is Poetry

Visit Skywatch Friday to see more summer skies from around the world.

Flower Boxes on the Bridge

In the summer, the railings of this walking bridge are decorated with flower boxes.
There is a café on the other side; you’ll get to see a bit more of that in tomorrow’s post.

Wood Cranesbill - Midsommarblomster

In Swedish, we call this flower midsommarblomster (= Midsummer flower).
The Latin name is Geranium sylvaticum. In England it is called Wood Cranesbill and is the county flower of Sheffield; and in North America it goes by the name of Woodland Geranium.

Depending on soil conditions, the flowers range from a mauve color to sky blue. It can also be found with white flowers. From the flower a blue-gray dye can be produced, which was used in the past to dye war cloaks (according to Wikipedia).

I came across these on my way to the Midsummer celebration; and again it was one of those occasions when the name just popped up in my memory from I-don’t-know-where-or-when.

Yellow Iris

Below the museum park where the midsummer celebrations took place (see yesterday’s post), there is a little lake. I walked by it on my way home and found masses of these large yellow flowers in bloom along the shores. They looked like irises to me and I think I’ve now established that they are indeed Yellow Iris or Yellow Flag. The latin name is Iris pseudacorus. In Swedish we call it svärdslilja which means ‘sword’s lily’.

Cottongrass - Ängsull

 

Funny how things sometimes just come back to you like from out of nowhere. Last time my brother and I were visiting our dad, we went for a walk down by the lake. One of the paths we took was one I remember walking often with my paternal grandmother back in my childhood and teens. She used to tell me the names of wild flowers that we passed, and sometimes now I find names popping up in my head that I didn’t even know that I knew. Like with these white woolly things: Ängsull. The direct translation of the Swedish name into English would be meadow-wool. But I find when looking it up now that the English name is Cottongrass. Latin: Eriophorum angustifolium. These usually grow on boggy ground, so serve to warn you that you might get your feet wet if you proceed in that direction… That, too, I remembered – so had to settle for taking my photos from some distance… ;)

Veronica and Buttercup

These blue flowers I remember from my childhood as “grandma’s eyeglasses” – in Swedish, “mormors glasögon”. I never had any idea why. Checking the Swedish Wikipedia article now I find the explanation that in the past, extracts from this plant were used to cure various eye diseases. The leaves have also been used to make herbal tea. Another Swedish name for it is Tea-Veronica. The Latin name is Veronica chamaedrys; in English the plant is also called Germander Speedwell.

The yellow ones are  Ranunculus acris –  English: Buttercup, Swedish: smörblomma ( “butterflower”).
A very common wild flower in Sweden.

A Day for Swedish Colours

From a celebration of the National Day of Sweden on 6 June in my home town.

 
On 19 June this year there will be a lot of flag-waving too, because today (in Stockholm) our Crown Princess Victoria, also Duchess of Västergötland, is getting married to Daniel Westling – a “man of the people”, who after the wedding will be entitled Prince, and Duke of Västergötland.

The media have been full of wedding talk and royal gossip for weeks and months back… I wonder if the hype will last, or if when the wedding is over it will be like letting the air out of a balloon? By the way, I read in the paper (Friday) that the couple have decided they want no fireworks, no balloons, and no confetti – out of concern for the environment.

On this blog I usually only publish my own photos. But I’ll make an exception:

 

Crown Princess Victoria and her fiancé Daniel Westling
celebrating the National Day of Sweden in Stockholm, 6 June 2010
(photo from Swedish Wikipedia article)

Mosaic Monday: Surrounded by Lilacs

See more Monday Mosaics at Mary’s Little Red House.

Horse Chestnut Flowers

Most horse chestnut trees around here have white flowers, but there is also a pink variety.

More Rhododendron

 

Old factory building now housing a bank and part of a conference centre.

At the Florist’s

 

A Beautiful Summer Day

“Excuse me while I kiss the sky.” ~ Jimi Hendrix

Rhododendron

Rhododendron
from the Greek: ροδον, rodon, meaning "rose", and δενδρον, dendron, meaning "tree"