Hey, I got you something.

Have you been feeling sluggish lately? I have. This morning, I went out in my garden. I hoped a shot of Vitamin D could jolt me awake. I knocked over my coffee, which didn’t help matters, but I did come away with a tiny burst of energy and some pretty photos. Please accept a virtual bouquet to brighten up your screen.

A virtual bouquet: Aquilegia, Ajuga, and lemon balm. — Aquilegia (the big purple flowers with white cups in the centers), ajuga (short purple stalks) and lemon balm (the fat, mint-looking leaves at the bottom). Photo copyright Helen J. Darling.

The squiggly pattern in the Aquilegia leaves is both a feature and a bug. They’re made by leaf miners, which in their larval stages eat the tissues of leaves. So, more bug than feature. However, they don’t cause more than cosmetic damage to these plants and they haven’t bothered others, so I don’t mind.

sleepy looking purple iris — Maybe it’s me who needs more sleep, but this iris looks like it’s rubbing its eyes and cannot get up this morning, thanks. Photo copyright Helen J. Darling.

Pink epimedium flower. — This plant is called Epimedium, sometimes known as fairy’s wings. I think they look like very elegant spiders. The way the leaves echo the flower color takes my breath away. Hope you like it, too. Photo copyright Helen J. Darling.

Epimediums grow well in dry shade. I haven’t tried cutting the flowers, so they may be better in virtual bouquets than real ones. If that means spending more time outside in order to enjoy them…well, that’s not a bad outcome.

Rose hellebore — I can’t get over the color on this hellebore (Lenten rose). Photo copyright Helen J. Darling.

Here’s a flower that does just as well in real bouquets as virtual ones. Hellebores bloom for about three months in my garden. They work as cut flowers, and you can float the blossoms in a bowl of water, like make-believe water lilies, if you feel stylish like that.

So there you go. I hope you enjoy the blooms. Bonus: no pollen on your desk!