Up close and personal

I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed by chores at the moment and usually find the perfect cure is a 5 or 10 minute meander through the garden to see what has changed from the previous day.

A new bud on the 'Little Gem' magnolia had appeared and warranted closer inspection, but it seems someone else had the same idea and was getting up close and personal themselves...

But despite the interlopers and the fact that they'd had a bit of a nibble on a couple of the petals, nothing detracted from the pristine beauty of the almost-bloom.

Then I headed down to dahlia 'Marie Antoinette' to check if there were any blooms ready for picking.

I love the frosted tips on its petals.

Nearby, there were new zinnias just coming out.

Zinnia elegans 'Polar Bear'

Colourwise this looks like Zinnia elegans 'Isabellina' , although it should be more double.

This is the first flower on a small Cosmos seedling. The colour doesn't quite match the fancy varieties of seed I planted, so I think it may be self-seeded from my original 'mixed' selection that seemed to be all deep pink.

Another first flower of the season, the Osteospermum 'Double Sensation' that I bought in July. 

A couple of the miniature dahlias I bought in a mixed punnet.

Signs of flowers yet to come : these scabiosa, which have germinated so quickly.

Up about as close and personal as I like to be with this fellow standing guard on a bromeliad.