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| In fabric, these flowers would be using an ombre technique. moving from the intense depth of color near the center to the much lighter colors at the edges. Mother Nature can dye with a sure and practiced hand. |
Of course there are categories of color - blue, red, yellow as the primary colors, orange, green and purple as the secondary colors. But the variants, the shading between the colors and how the material displaying the color can make the difference in perception also affects how everyone's color perception is slightly different. Since it's Valentine's Day (have a great one, BTW), let's take the time and look at some colorful flowers.
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| I remember walking in the high mountains and seeing clumps of blue Columbine flowers, just like these. So beautiful. |
In Colorado, where I grew up among the mountain peaks, there was a preponderance of blue flowers in the upper reaches of the slopes. The Columbine, in blue, is the state flower and it's a beauty. DH has planted Columbines for me here, but without the elevation, they are yellow and pink. It's those high mountain meadows that allow for the blue Columbine.
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| The Indian Paintbrush is a splash of brilliant red against the background. It's an opportunistic flower with a wide range of comfortable areas in which to grow. It's found from Texas to the Rocky Mountains and is hardy in both harsh weather and hot sun. |
For red flowers, we had our Indian Paintbrush flowers. These opportunistic flowers loved disturbed earth and grew in multitudes alongside the high roadways. I would walk a couple of blocks to the river and cross over the bridge. On the other side, as the road continued onward towards Independence Pass, would be the road cuts and I would often find Indian Paintbrushes there.
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| Black Eyed Susan flowers are often considered a weed flower, although you can grow them from seed. They are altitude friendly, so we found them easily in Denver, but they were less common in Aspen. That extra 3000 feet of altitude made things a bit harder for these sturdy blooms. |
For yellow, there were Black Eyed Susan flowers, usually considered a weed, but what a pretty one! I don't know anyone who planted these on purpose, but when they came up and bloomed, they were usually very welcome.
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| Roses come in many colors, and they also accept dyes quite easily, so there are some real technicolor blooms out there. I tend a bit more to the conservative, so this is a nice assortment for me. |
Of course, I have to mention roses too, because my mother planted roses along the front of our home in Denver and because it is Valentine's Day, the day when roses are often part of the gifts given to a loved one. The variety of roses is astounding, they are colorful and actually pretty hardy, but small things can bring them down - too much water or some species of insects. Roses are prized, however, and new varieties are being developed all the time. When I was in Portland I visited their rose garden. It was exquisite and quite amazing. I highly recommend it (along with the zoo and the Japanese Garden in the same large complex) if you're ever in Oregon. It's a great way to spend a long day.
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| The International Test Rose Gardens in Portland, Oregon, have been in existence and operational for more than 100 years. It's a perfect climate for roses, and there are multitudes of varieties being tested here. Visitors can wander throughout the garden and look a the variety of blooms. |
So, Happy Valentine's Day to all of you. I'll be back tomorrow with fashions from the Runway. Enjoy your day and be kind to others.
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