Wednesday's Story

A puzzling moment…

Happened to me while shooting in our meadow. I had set up my tripod, mounted my camera, checked my settings, then looked through the viewfinder and focused on this bud of a flower. After taking my final shot I reviewed the last image on my monitor. Something changed! I found not a bud, but an open flower. Thinking I had moved the camera somehow, I flipped through all of the images. To my surprise, the flower was blooming as I was photographing it! Ah, the wonder of nature.

Find this flower and others in our floral print store.

points of interest

Mat-forming with narrow, dark green leaves. Flowers are solitary and appear May-July; petals are toothed and deep pink with a magenta center ring. Sets seed prolifically. Lovely in rock gardens, perennial borders or wildflower patches.

general care

Plant in full sun in well-drained, slightly alkaline soil. Fertilize in spring with a low nitrogen solution and use sand or stone chips instead of compost mulch to avoid disease. Deadhead after flowering to maintain neatness.

friday’s flower fact

Maiden Pink is a “species pinks”, one that is used as a parent to produce many of the pinks cultivars seen in nurseries.