It's OK to breathe now....

What? You weren't holding your breath...wondering what made the 'cut' for the flower show? IMHO not a 'winner' among them, but they are packaged up and ready to be dropped off this morning.

I had an old wire bottle carrier which may or may not get them to show unscathed.

In the back is Osmunda regalis. Royal fern, aka flowering fern. It's a very tall, stately deciduous fern that sports brown fertile fronds that give the appearance of flowers. It's too early for those fronds to be the beautiful coppery color that they'll be in a couple weeks. Points off, I'm sure.

Allium is going, leaving only two in the garden, although this morning I saw a late something that might shoot up into another glorious bloom. I love alliums and I absolutely hated cutting this one. Please forgive me, Alli.

Clematis gets to go after all. I now have the most beautiful, tangled mess mass of blooms on the vine. She's going in an 'unapproved' container....just because she wants to. Love letting her be a rebel.

And finally, behind her is Deutzia. There is an unjudged category this year called plant with a story. I thought you might like to read Deutzia's entry:

Hello.

My name is Deutzia.

This flower show used to be the highlight of my life. Literally. In 2004 when I was hardly out of my youth, I won a lovely blue ribbon. That was the year my owner discovered my name. Can you believe, she didn't even know who I was?!?...only that I was pretty.

Two years later, I went from 'pretty' to "SPECTACULAR', if I do say so myself. 2006. What a year!!! Everyone thought I was magnificent. I won a blue ribbon again, but this time I was also the 'Best in Show'. THE BEST! What joy!!! I could have danced all night.

But time marches on. Terrible winters, the infamous ice storm of '09, old age...who knows? I sort of had a stroke and half of me died. I couldn't flower any more. My owner just couldn't desert me, though. She tried this and that...but nothing seemed to make me feel better. Late last summer, I knew she was desperate. She amputated my right half.

And you know? I felt a bit better. Oh, no. Not like the old days for sure, but slightly better. I shot out new growth like I haven't done in years, and for an old girl, I'm looking 'not bad'.

So here I am today. A little white-haired old lady, who still remembers fondly my garden show days when I was 'Pretty in Pink'.

Deutzia---2006