Below are a bunch of captioned pictures from our recent trip to Phoenix and Parker, Arizona.

Arliss, Mike and yours truly–we were hiking in a wash out past Shea Road.  Mike and Arliss are fun to wander with–they know all about the geology and flora and fauna of the desert.

Every rock and every plant is a new treasure.

Desert plant patterns are spectacular.

The color of the cliffs is fascinating, too.

Water only fills the wash once or twice a year, but the force has created canyons all over the desert and it forces shrubs to marry stones, as seen here.

Mike called these elk horn cactus.  The flowers came in various colors, from reddish orange to pure greenish yellow.

There are some giant bees in Arizona, but they were tough for me to photograph.  You can see one in the first photo here just to the right of the Ocotillo blossoms.  It is that giant shiny black bug.  The bees were just a bit smaller than hummingbirds, and probably heavier.

Ocotillos were blooming beautifully all over the desert.

Mesquite trees were blooming everywhere, as well.

The Colorado River runs very close to Arliss and Mike’s place and there were people out enjoying the water on hot days.

A dwarf form of Oenothera added a bright spot in the sand.

I haven’t identified this shrub with tubular flowers yet–it was in  a neighbor’s yard.

Opuntias take on a different kind of look in the spring.

Some other neighbors had a wonderful garden full of hybrid tea roses.  I couldn’t help but think of the water and chemicals they probably have to use to keep these beautiful flowers coming in the desert.

I’ve yet to identify this berry-sporting prickly shrub found in the washes near Parker.

I can’t imagine the berries last long if they are at all edible.

This hillside was regurgitating calcite in thin, translucent sheets.  I found several other hills like this in my hikes.

These shrubs turn lavender in the hot sun…and they blend in with the sand and rocks around them.

A smaller version of the above–its shadow gives it away.

Opuntias are hardcore survivors in the rocky desert.  Some have a lavender hue.

Close up of the same.

There isn’t a lot of wildlife out during the hot days, but these fence lizards scurried away frequently on my hikes.

This little guy had set up home right next to Arliss and Mike’s driveway.

Boat-tailed grackles take the place of crows in this environment.  Their vocalizations are more varied, but they have a similar sense of curiosity and boisterous charm.

Agave offsets–so tempting!

Lantana thrives in dooryards.

I found this boat in one of the washes.  The washes are used as garbage dumps by some and the water steals in own garbage when it really gets flowing, as well.

You can see the lines of different types of sediment/stone up the hillsides.

Views on some of my desert hikes.

Palos verde trees were in full bloom–this one was a  beacon at the top of a wash.

A large opuntia that had recently bloomed with fruit setting.

Barely hanging on a cliff.

This giant limestone-looking flat boulder was in the middle of a wash, having been excavated by recent floods.  It was probably six feet across, at least.

More views from a wash.  The sun and shadows are very different when you are walking in a canyon and I had to be very aware of the time so as not to get stuck trying to find my way out in the dark.

Much of the land looks like this.  It isn’t really dirt or sand–it is an aggregate of stone and sand pushed up from the earth.

Creosote bushes are amazing survivors.  They were the first and sometimes only settlers on barren ground.  They have a defense mechanism where they exude toxic chemicals that won’t let other plants grow nearby, including other creosote bushes.  So, they are spaced out quite a distance and the desert never really looks like a shrubbery.  It looks more like the bushes were planted by a machine on 12 foot axes.

Bougainvillea grow well in the desert, as well, but have to be watered.  I’m not fond of this, the most predominant hue, but it certainly stood out in a world where almost every flower is yellow.

I saw this hummer in a Mesquite–we were watching each other.

I’ve heard these called Mexican petunias–they are ruellias.

Very drought tolerant, apparently.

This beautiful Bauhinia tree is in the same garden as the tea roses mentioned earlier.  This yard is an oasis–lots of green plants and bright flowers and birds (they have multitudinous feeders).

You can see the great Orchid Tree leaves here, along with the graceful flowers.

I’ll post more pictures in the next day or two.

 

 

I had to postpone any garden work for a couple of weeks due to work conflicts, so I set today aside to get the bare minimum done, especially since the weather was perfect to get things done.

My order from Plant Delights landed on Thursday, so I potted up or planted out all of those treasures.  The more tender ones ended up in pots in the greenhouse until warmer weather.  The hardier ones went right outside.  I’m probably most excited about Iris ungicularis “Francis Wormsley”–a winter blooming fragrant iris!  I planted it near the plum tree along the fence in the orchard garden.

Two kiwi vines arrived from Burgess.  The female is pretty healthy looking, but the male looked like a dead stick.  I planted it anyway, but will watch it and get a replacement if needed.  I planted these on the trellises in the raised veggie beds.

Much of the day was spent cleaning up after the serious windstorm we had here last weekend.  There were hundreds of branches off the Douglas fir, and thousands of cones from that tree, as well.  I didn’t attempt to pick up the cones–something I’ll tackle another time.  But the branches got picked/raked up and readied for yard waste pick up.

I fertilized the cane berries today, too, with an organic food from Raintree Nursery.  The blackberries are looking really strong this year and I expect many more berries this year than last.

It was an excellent day for photographs, as the sun was filtered by thin clouds.  I’m going to dump some here and will add captions some other time.

One of last year’s forced hyacinths–a gorgeous very light pink.  All over the garden and pots, many of the hyacinths have bent over, likely due to weather and weak stems.

This may be the third time I’ve photographed this potted hyacinth from last year’s forced bulbs, which means it has been in bloom for the better part of a month.

I couldn’t get a clear shot of the clivia buds that are coming on throughout the greenhouse–the space is stuffed to the gills.  But I took a blurry shot to show that the flowers are coming…

This mounted orchid has increased in size ten-fold since I got it at the flower and garden show maybe 4 years ago.  It has yet to bless me with its flowers.  I think it is an Aerangis, but I couldn’t reach it to read the tag!

Many of the cymbidiums that I assumed would not bloom are now spiking–probably 5 or six more spikes throughout the greenhouse.

This is a second spike on the “hooded” cymbidium.  Its first spike of flowers had bad viral spots and were ruined.  Hopefully, the second spike will fare better–I have adjusted the fan and will open the door frequently to ensure air circulation.

Fuchsia “Cardinal” tree is blooming.  I need to pinch it back, but couldn’t bear to take these lovely flowers off!

The form of this holiday cactus is spectacular.  This is one that I’m growing in a hanging basket in orchid bark.  The flower display has been less than impressive in quantity, but the blooms themselves are fascinating and beautiful.

The “classic” holiday cactus still has dozens of bright blooms.

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At the front of the greenhouse, out of reach, the Veltheimia is blooming.

I don’t think Freesia laxa plants exactly thrive in my care…but they bless me with flowers, anyway.  This is a seedling of the blue morph, and while the sparse flower show does not inspire awe, the delicate lavender color with distinctive spots are worth a spot in the greenhouse.

I appear to have a knack with Pleione, however.  I started with one bulb and now there are a dozen or so.  I’ll be able to try some outside when I divide them.  The clay pot they are in has 7 blooms this year.

For such short plants, the flowers are actually huge.

The bulbs have spread quickly in this terracotta rectangular pot.

Here are what the bulbs look like.  They are starting to pile up on top of each other, so I will pick a few out and share with family/friends, and plant some in the Douglas fir bed to see if they can survive there.

A slightly clearer picture of the pot.

This bloom is not quite open yet.

Another picture of the soon to be fully open Pleione formosana flower.  This flower was closest and I could reach it easiest, so that’s why I photographed it so much!

I spent part of the day going through potted plants on the shelves next to the house and repotting/topdressing (and composting) the contents there.  Above is a Japanese maple seedling that I put in a bonsai pot today.  It is not really a bonsai yet, but has some real potential.  I believe this is a five year old seedling from some arboretum seeds.

Here is the shelf mentioned above.  I got through the top three shelves.  There are two shelves to go–might get to it tomorrow.

Trillium aren’t huge fans of the Douglas fir bed, but they persist there after probably 15 years.  I think there are only two that will bloom this year.  I love these plants, but I suspect it is too dry under that giant forest tree to keep them truly happy.

Anemone blandas blooming in the Douglas fir bed.  I forgot I had planted these, along with some other fall-planted bulbs back in October.  They were happy to remind me, though.  They are fantastic–perfect woodland citizens.

A close up of the Anemone flower.

More Anemone flowers.

One narcissus that perennializes in my garden is the poeticus–you can see a healthy clump here that will have 7-10 flowers in the next week or so.

Very few tulips have survived, but this cream/white one will be wide open in a few days.  It has graceful form.

An absolute spring favorite–the sweet olive, Osmanthus fragrans.  As I worked in the orchard garden and front yard, this generous shrub rewarded me with its sweet scent.

Ferns around the garden are really coming into their own this month.

Fiddleheads.

More fiddleheads.

Strong new growth as the old fronds make way by laying on the ground.

This Heuchera is in the woodland “pond” garden.

Probably  my favorite picture of the day–this is a bleeding heart (Dicentra) in the woodland “pool” garden.

The same plant from a little distance.

Yellow is not my favorite flower color, but this Epimedium x versicolor “Sulphureum” in the pool garden has earned my appreciation.  It is tough as nails and blooms brightly in earliest spring.

Not fully in focus, but this is Brazen Hussy, the best-named plant in the pool garden, a selection of Ranunculus.  It is a runner, for sure, but hasn’t proven thuggish, since it disappears in late spring.

The Goumi (Elaeagnus multiflora) in the orchard garden is budding up better than ever–looks like it will have a bumper crop this year!

This aronia shrub has flowers coming.   It looks like it may have fewer berries than last year.   The plant is growing well, though, so I imagine it’ll produce a lot more berries next year.

Corylopsis still blooming.  The flowers fade to a soft lemon yellow and elongate into this graceful form.

Again, with the past-its-best Forsythia in the background.

Another Corylopsis branch.

Squirrels help spread the grape hyacinths (Muscari), or at least I assume that’s how they end up in places they were never planted.  This stand is in the raspberry bed.

Throught the raspberry canes.

I need to fertilize this poor camellia, but it is blooming beautifully.

Many more flowers on the Asian pear espalier–I am hopeful that we’ll actually get fruit this year.  Last year, despite quite a few flowers, not fruit appeared.

Here is sister Cate’s Hellebore–I couldn’t resist another picture in the perfect lighting today.

Dicentra in the orchard garden–this also from sister Cate.

Close up of the sister Cate bleeding heart.

The plum tree is blooming well this year, too.  Hopefully we’ll get a few plums.  I believe this is Santa Rosa.

Close up of the flowers.

And more plum flowers.

Here is the start of Iris unguicularis “Francis Wormsley” from Plant Delights.  The plants were all great starts and packed extremely well.

Started very early from seed last year, these wall flowers are just now blooming.  I absolutely love this rich burgundy color!

Coronilla (emerus?) blooming near the front door.  This came as a start from brother Tim at least 15 years ago.  It has done really well for me.  My only challenge is how to keep it pruned and yet let it bloom–it has grand aspirations in a limited space.

More Coronilla flowers.  This shrub is just starting to bloom now–it will stay cheerful for about a month, and will rebloom if I cut it way back.

 

We had rain squalls, sun bursts and then a thunder storm at the beginning of the evening–all of the weather March can bring in one busy day.

I didn’t let the weather slow me down, as I had a rare garden day set aside and I got quite a bit done.

My Raintree Nursery order arrived this week and I had to get the trees and brambles in the ground.  There was a dwarf Morello cherry:

A dwarf Vandalay cherry:

Two urban columnar apples:

One Royalty raspberry, planted in a raised bed:

Chester blackberry, planted between the espalier Asian pear and the plum tree:

Here are some pictures from the greenhouse and around:

Old-fashioned holiday cactus blooming in the greenhouse.  I inherited this from some neighbors that moved away, and begrudgingly found room for it.  And of course, it makes me feel guilty every year by blooming beautifully!

Very soft pink hyacinths blooming for the second year in a pot on the potting bench.

I like this starry blue one, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I visited West Seattle today for Brother Tim’s birthday celebration.  We walked all over and saw some amazing things.

First, on the way out, I saw this blooming in the pot with the Osmanthus:

Corydalis solida, which gets forgotten every year because it goes dormant so early, comes back with a lot of fanfare in early spring!

This seems happy in the pot, even though the soil is full of Osmanthus root.

Also on the way out, I noticed raindrops and sunshine on the primroses in the pot near the porch.

I wasn’t sure about flower colors, but I think springtime allows for brighter combinations without worrying about too much brightness or contrast.

Below are more crocus pics–they are just so photogenic!

Here is a foliage standout–Persicaria “Red Dragon” in the Douglas fir bed.  This was a big, robust grower at first, but I think it is unhappy now and it just throws a few stems each year.  This is probably an okay thing, as I gave starts to my friend Jeff and they turned into monsters in his yard–tall and wide thugs that had to be tamed!

Another hyacinth picture, with the light and raindrops–love these white ones.

And then on to West Seattle.

These were some amazing pots we passed outside a business.  I’m not sure what these gray leaved beauties were–tried to find them online (centarea, senecio?), but couldn’t find them.  They were brilliant!

A close-up of a particularly attractive Hellebore in one of these pots.

I photographed this same Rhodie last year around the same time.  It is extremely beautiful.

Camellias are a mixed blessing.  Lots of pretty flowers and a giant mess underneath!  I had a gardening job years ago in a job with HUMONGOUS camellia shrubs and I spent hours and hours picking up the dropped flowers from the ground/lawn.  They were heavy.  I filled whole garbage bags with them every spring!

Like last year, we had a gorgeous day to explore and the magnolia flowers looked great against the blue sky.

On the same gardening job, I had to pick up saucer magnolia flowers after they dropped–they were even worse than camellias!  They stuck to the lawn and had to be raked out of it.

Aubrietas growing in a rock wall.  The flowers don’t last long, but they are fun.

Some amazing grasses were still looking good after winter.

Red-flowered currants were blooming.  I love them for maybe two weeks, but not enough to add any to my yard.  Brother Tim says they are worth it for the hummers they attract.

I’m not a fan of bergenias normally, but the below white one (possibly Bressingham White) was very pretty.

And here’s a close-up.

Below are the catkins on a contorted Colylus avellana

I love Magnolia stellate, and there were some stunning ones in West Seattle today, perfectly pristine.

Next, we went to Schmidt’s Preserve, where we walked through some great wilderness, including some old-growth trees.  Only the plant-geek Petersons would be mostly impressed by all the skunk cabbage plants throughout the area!

The leaves on these smelly water plants will extend out to 3 feet or more.

And there were some salmon berries blooming (Rubus spectabilis)

The forest was really wet and I saw these mushrooms growing on a nurse log:

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the beach, this amazing log covered with ivy vines was laying on the sand.

And a bird sighting–these appear to be Barrow’s goldeneyes!  So amazing!

And the other amazing this was to see how WARM it is in West Seattle vs. my house, just 12 miles away!  This acacia was growing outside in a sheltered corner:

All in all, it was a fantastic day, celebrating my big brother’s 58th birthday outside in a beautiful world!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was stuck inside most of the day, but noticed there was significant frost on the grass when I ventured out to get the paper this morning.

Sunny weather is a mixed blessing, as it seems ripe for garden photography, but the truth is that better pictures are typically had on overcast days.  Still, living in Seattle, I think sunshine means more to me–it definitely alters all moods for the better!

Here is a Hellebore given to us by friends Bonnie and Pam probably 15 years ago.  The plant is a bit less vigorous this year, with fewer flowers, but it has a grace and beauty that some of the more floriferous Lenten roses lack.

One of Leon’s early stone sculptures.  This one is called Aquarius and it sits near the pond in the fenced pond garden.  The above Hellebore lives there, too.

Below are some bonsai starts–seedling that I started years ago.  The center plant is a Japanese larch that is leafing out–such a cheerful, graceful tree.

The larch buds just bursting with life:

I love the light through the garlic chives.  I grew these from seeds, as well.  It has taken a few years for them to get enough size on them so I feel okay harvesting them!

Standard chives are below–popping up like crazy.  I will take some off the edges and pot them up for brother Tim’s plant sale in the spring.

I’m not really sure why hyacinths are my favorite spring bulb–it must be the fragrance.  These white beauties from the cold frame are more graceful than most of the giant hybrids…and the scent doesn’t disappoint.

Our cheerful bulb/primrose display.  The pot needs to be washed, as rain has washed mud all the way up the sides!  Such a Seattle problem.

Corylopsis is blooming.  I struggle to get flowers of this shrub that do justice to its graceful, bright flowers.

Crocus, on the other hand, are almost impossible NOT to photograph well.  The photography rule of avoiding sunny days doesn’t always apply.  For example, crocus just don’t ever look this happy on a cloudy day.

I went a little crazy with the crocus pics, but can you blame me?  They are infinitely graceful.

I love the deep golden hearts to the white crocus below.

And here again.

These are new for me and I’m really pleased with them–I’ll get more to plant in the Doug fir bed and around this fall.  Another advantage to crocus is the price–so I can afford to be generous with them.

And last…

I’ve already photographed this iris reticulate hybrid, but can’t resist a few more pictures in the sun.

I’ve not had luck with these in the garden, so forcing them in pots has been my only way to enjoy success with them.  I splurged last year and got some nice hybrids rather than the usual mix.  The mixes often don’t have the better cultivars–I think they are tough to propagate and they command a high price.

More leftover forced hyacinths from last year.

In the greenhouse, Mom’s cymbidium is still blooming beautifully.  The flowers lose some of their green and turn a buff-beige that is stunning.

Here is an inherited cymbidium blooming for the first time.  I am not opposed to the cup shaped flowers, and the color and size are nice.  Unfortunately, the flowers are spotted on the outside and that ruins the picture when the flowers don’t open all the way!

The Masdevallias continue to shine, as well, so I took a few pictures in the bright light.

Superb form and garish color.

You can really see the intricate interior in this picture.

 

The day has wavered from drizzly to rainy all morning, but I didn’t let that stop me from getting things done in the garden.  Days off are too precious to waste just because Seattle is being Seattle!

You can see the wet in these flower pictures:

The forced iris in the windowsill continue to impress;

I’ll pull more bulbs out of the fridge and put them out on the porch and in the greenhouse later today.

The main focus today was clean-up of the shrubs around the orchard garden.  This is what I removed:

It will take a few weeks to get all of this into yard waste!  Most of the branches are from the climbing rose, the Lonicera tatarica, buddlejas, rhodies that have crept over from the neighbors yard and raspberries.

Here is the cleaned up raspberry bed:

The canes are noticeably weaker this year.  I really need to fertilize them well and I have some fertilizer coming from Raintree Nursery.

The forsythia and winter hazel are opening up despite the rain–should be in full bloom by next weekend.

I planted a bunch of seeds today, too–lettuce and endive, parsley and peas, Tiny Tim tomatoes and kale.

There were a few garden chores on the list today, and of course many more for the coming weeks.  Today, I pruned the climbing rose that had been on the trellis and growing up the recently removed bitter cherry tree.  I easily removed half the plant, but I’m sure it will grow right back.  This is a start from the arboretum, and it has deliciously fragrant apricot/cream flowers.

Signs of spring include all of the following and the above narcissus that I set out today from the cold frame.

This pot had a hummingbird visitor today!

The camellia in our yard has one giant open flower…a bit weather worn now, but amazing in its size and shape, regardless.

The buds on the winter hazel and the forsythia are very close to bursting:

Crocus are up and blooming, including these in the Douglas fir bed:

The Hellebore from Brother Tim is blooming:

More seedlings are up in the greenhouse–verbascums, campanulas and others:

The Masdevallias continue to be the bright lights in the greenhouse–nothing subtle here, but their shape is cheering and the color cannot be ignored.

Below are some of the forced iris reticulates that came out of the fridge about a month ago.  They have taken a long time to bloom, but I love the flower shape, color and Leon enjoys the scent (I can’t smell it due to nose blindness).  The container is a homemade pot from my school friend Lisa Ostgard-Murray–close to 40 years old!

Other garden chores today–I pruned the Madrona trees in the Doug fir bed and the mint plant there, as well.  Cleaned out some stems from the Aruncus, too.

In the orchard garden, I did some clean-up of the brambles, cutting out dead canes and securing the live ones with twine on the trellises to be sure they are up and out of trouble and ready to produce a million berries.

There are many other chores–hope to get to more tomorrow and Monday, as the holiday will give me some much needed free time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brother Tim joined me on getting a jump on spring by going to Sky Nursery for the afternoon.

Here are some of the beautiful things we saw:

Possibly over-bright and cheerful, but as winter wears on I appreciate the loud colors of a nursery-imposed spring more than I normally would.

I’m too cheap to pay for the primroses at the nursery prices, but I appreciate their beauty.  This one had the most delicate picotee edge and a more graceful form than most.  I ended up picking up three at Fred Meyer that I like for less than half–they aren’t perfect, but they add the perfect cheer in the blue-glazed ceramic pot outside the front porch.

Here is a precocious Tiarella blooming beautifully.  I will add this to the wish list for the Douglas fir bed–just he perfect amount of pink to white and just showy enough without being gaudy.

And here is Brother Tim behind a shelf of primroses…not the graceful ones, really, but an amazing flush of color.

Here are some pictures of an early blooming Camellia at Ingraham High School.

I love this very delicate pink and the form is interesting, too.

 

I watered the greenhouse today, something I only do once or twice in the winter in order to just keep things ticking over.  As I was looking around the potting bench, I was shocked to see these:

Normally, bulbs that I have forced don’t come back and bloom–and usually I plant them out in the garden to give them a chance to rest and them grow back to blooming size.  These reticulata iris were forced last year, were soon forgotten and have been in the pot outside ever since.  These are some of my very favorite plants–amazingly beautiful!

Some crocus that were forced last year are also about ready to bloom!

The following narcissus hybrids were also forced last year.  These dwarfs are more likely to bloom again, so this wasn’t as much of a surprise, but their vigor is a bit surprising.

I moved some of the chips from the cut trees to the aisles between the raised veggie beds and also cut the sage herb plant way back.

There’s lots more to do, but I’ll just keep working at it over time and spread out the joy!

 

Fifteen or so years ago I moved a seedling into a spot near the driveway and watched it grow into a lovely tree.  It was a bitter cherry, Prunus emarginata.  Unfortunately, about 5 feet above ground where the trunk split in two, it was developing a bole and it looked like a crack was forming, as well.  I had read that bitter cherries are notoriously weak trees and tend to topple in even minor storms.  Sadly, this one, being near the house and driveway, had to go.

We had a tree service take it out, along with a precocious black locust sucker that had popped up along the north fence line that was tangling with the wires.  The original black locust tree had been taken out before we moved to this house 20 years ago, but it continues to sucker!  I suspect we’ll have similar problems with the bitter cherry, as it has thrown suckers all over the yard!

Below are the locust stumps.

I was sad to see the trees go, especially the bitter cherry, as it was the favorite tree in our yard for all types of birds.  Luckily, there is a silver lining…well, more of a wood-toned lining:

Lots of excellent fruit wood for us to take to our cabin and burn!

And a massive pile of chips (this was only part of what the tree produced!) that I will use to mulch various areas of the garden!

The stump grinders will come and dig out as much stump and root as they can, and then we’ll have to be super diligent about fighting the myriad suckers that appear, but I’m excited to have opportunities in that garden bed that I didn’t have before.

I already ordered trees from Raintree Nursery to revamp the entire border and make it productive.  I ordered two columnar apples trees and two dwarf cherry trees.  I also ordered a different type of blackberry (Chester) and a purple raspberry–not positive where I will put them, but excited, nonetheless.

The garden has some early color, as the Hellebores have jumped up and made themselves known.  This one, from Plant Delights,  is in the Douglas fir bed:

    Here is the Lenten rose that brother Tim bought us some 20 years ago:

Strong growing, and happy near a downspout, I expect the flowers will be open by next weekend.

And below is a similar, though earlier cultivar from sister Cate.  This one just makes you smile with the splashes of color inside that it hides so shyly with downward pointing flowers.

Here are some other pictures from around the garden and greenhouse.  The snowdrops are fully open now and I got some interesting shots of them.

This last picture shows that something was nibbling the flower.  It might be a baby slug or some bug or other.

Some other miscellaneous pictures below:

Crocus trying to bloom, but not finding the weather they like just yet.

Wallflowers from seed last year–should give an excellent flower show in a month or two.

The only seedlings up from the greenhouse planting several weeks ago are these hardy geraniums.

And these…

These Cymbidium buds are ready to pop like balloons!  I have been so patient, but I can’t wait to see what these look like.  The reward of a lazy labeler is a surprise flower at every turn!

And a few white holiday cactus flowers from the greenhouse:

Not a great photo, as the camera is focused on the chickweed that has sprung up in the pot!  Weeds are annoying in so many ways–they even photo bomb!