Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Geranium and Smoke Tree – Ruby Tuesday



Geranium and Smoke Tree – Ruby Tuesday

Does this Ivy leafed Geranium (Pelargonium peltatum) count as red? You would think that someone who deals with colors professionally might be a little more sure of which color is which. We have been using more Geraniums at work and they continue to amaze me with the different colors and styles available. This was taken at a nursery and I should have bought a couple because the flower was beautiful.


This second photo is a Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygria). Most often they are referred to as Purple Smoke Tree but it is really a shrub. They always make a nice splash of color in the garden and while the ‘smoke’ is nice the foliage is the main show. Every couple of years I hard prune mine to stimulate new color and keep them a little smaller. They are easy to cultivate and will grow on a variety of soils. They are a member of the Cashew Family (Anacardiaceae) something I didn’t know.

Sorry for such a short post but the heat has been getting to me a little. I like it hot but working in the big rose garden yesterday was intense. It was blazing.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have a smoke tree - it has been trained into a tree - but it really wants to be a shrub. We're constantly arguing about that. The leaves are so beautiful, I made a bouquet and brought them in.

maryt/theteach said...

Digital Flower, both choices are absolutely right for Ruby Tuesday! What magnificent color on both! That Smoke tree leaf amazes me! Thanks for participating! :D

marcia@joyismygoal said...

Wow that is so pretty and very RED

Kimmie said...

What a gorgeous shade of red! Great Job!
Happy Ruby Tuesday!
Blessings,
Kimmie

Barb said...

I'd say it's in the red family! I love the Smoke Tree! Such an intense color!

Anonymous said...

Oh these are beautiful specimans! I also love the dogwood above for WW. Have a great day...

Raven said...

Well, the geranium seems more purple-ish to me, but who cares because it's beautiful. I never heard of a smoke tree before. That photo is beautiful. All of your photos are just exquisite. It's like visiting a lovely garden for a peaceful rest.

j said...

Beautiful photos. So well done. When I think geranium I think red, so that counts right?

Jen

Sandy Kessler said...

don't know the smoke tree?Did you get another dog??

Dianne said...

beautiful colors.

great shots!