Thematic Photographic - Got the blues

Carmi, at Written, Inc., posts a weekly photo challenge called Thematic Photographic. This week, the theme is GOT THE BLUES. Take a picture that supports this week's theme, then share it on your blog or website.

Ah, the blues! In the garden, blue flowers are highly prized, although it is hard to find a flower that is true, primary blue.

Here the blues are more celestial, the color of a soft summer sky.

Agapanthus africanus is commonly known as the Lily of the Nile, though it's not a true lily at all, and hails from South Africa's Limpopo region rather than the Nile.

It's an impressive plant, with wide, evergreen strappy leaves that, in early summer, put up tall stalks with huge buds that slowly open, like strange space creatures, unfolding smaller buds within. Opening, opening, opening - and then suddenly they unfold with starry umbrels of blue.

They're drought tolerant, tough, and long-blooming - perfect for a climate like Southern California. These plants were in our front yard when we moved here almost fifteen years ago, and they're still going strong.

Get the blues!