Welcome back to all the fans of flower racing!
Here we are for the final stretch of the Memorial Marathon.
As the flowers head through the short chute between turns 3 and 4, the weather settles into solid rain and the race becomes a veritable slogfest.
Spiderwort responds well to the rain and holds steady in his leading position.
Daylily keeps pace right behind Spiderwort.
With an ancient, entangled root system, Daylilly is rarely concerned with the weather.
Bee Balm has been looking good the entire race and the rain only seems to refresh her.
Ahhhh, how Bee Balm loves a good soaking.
The crowd was worried about Gloriosa Daisy along the backstretch, but he too seems to be bearing up to the rain nicelyl.
Gloriosa holds steady right behind Bee Balm.
Sweet Pea stays in the race as she hears her fans cheering wildly for her.
The pack becomes jumbled as the flowers head through the fourth turn and look toward the wide open home stretch.
The weather finally breaks fair and pleasant.
Daylilly stretches forward and gives it everything he has.
Spiderwort responds with the most beautiful bloom he can muster
But it isn’t enough. Daylilly takes the lead!
Bee Balm, who has spent the entire race comfortably following others, slips around Spiderwort and pulls up against Daylilly.
Heading down the stretch it is Daylily and Bee Balm charging towards glory.
Gloriosa Daisy was caught in traffic coming around the fourth turn
But He breaks free!
Drawing on the strength of the incredible depth of field in all those broad swaths
Gloriosa shows his beautiful self.
The Great Performer pulls out all the stops and puts on his very best bloom!
Half-way down the final stretch, Bee Balm overtakes Daylilly for the lead
Gloriosa Daisy spurts forward. Gloriosa gets around Daylilly and pulls right up to Bee Balm.
It’s Bee Balm and Gloriosa, bloom to bloom, headed for the wire.
Gloriosa noses ahead. The pre-race favorite is back in the lead at the end!
Whoa! Wow! Freak of Nature! Bee Balm puts on an early season double bloom as she approaches the wire.
In a stunning display of beauty, speed and versatility, Bee Balm bursts forth
and crosses the wire.
BEE BALM WINS!
The crowd goes wild!
Gloriosa Daisy crosses the line in second and Daylilly pulls up in third, followed by Spiderwort, Sweet Pea and the rest of the pack.
What a race!
The lucky ticket winners are headed to the betting windows to cash in their tickets for Win, Place and Show.
Thanks so much to all you wonderful race fans for watching the Memorial Marathon. Be sure to tune into the final two legs of the Triple Crown. We have the Independence Day Sprint coming right up on the Fourth of July. Then we can look forward to the Dog Days Derby during the heat of August.
Have a great day, Race Fans! May your garden bloom beautifully.
See you soon…..
In Jim's Garden 
great pics!
Than ks. Great subjects! 🙂
Great pictures. With the race theme, I found myself scrolling really fast, lol!! I went back for an instant replay
Thanks. Glad you were into the race theme. This was definitely not intended to be a leisurely stroll through the garden. 🙂
I put it all on spiderwort. There go all my savings! LOL! Great pics!
ALAS! The hazards of being a betting man…… Have a great weekend, Grower. Thanks for following the race. 🙂
If there were a garden competition, your garden would be on the very top. I so enjoyed this race. 🙂 Beautiful photos! Thank you, Jim!
Thanks Amy. Thanks for following the race – I’m so glad you enjoyed it. The garden is a ton of fun at this time of year. 🙂
These photos are just beautiful. I love the dew drops on these beautiful flowers. My bee balm just bloomed this week and am still waiting on daisies and black-eyed susan. Just a crazy cool wet summer so far.
Thanks. Yes, we are having the crazy cool wet summer too. Some flowers, like Bee Balm, seem to like it. The little red annual poppies, though, are no-shows. This weather is not their favorite. 🙂
I love poppies! I haven’t planted them yet though. My grandmother had some beautiful orange ones that I remember.
Whew! What a nailbiter! 🙂 And what a great effort by Bee Balm with that surprise flower too – talk about pulling a rabbit out of a hat, bloomwise.
I’m still backing Echinaea for the Dog Days Derby though. 😉
Echinacea is looking good the last few days. It might even be a good bet for the Independence Day Dash. Have a great weekend. 🙂
I love this. LOL!
Thanks Pip. 🙂
Oh how I laughed and giggled as I followed this titillating race. I guess it’s that double bloom that put the bee balm across first. lol. Great fun Jim, thank you.
Thanks Jet. I’m so glad you liked it. And yep, it’s that early season double bloom that did it. You know, ya gotta have that extra something to be a champion. 🙂
Very nice and beautiful pics 🙂
Thank you, thank you, thank you. The gardens are coming into full bloom. 🙂
Love it! I was betting on bee-balm 🙂
Good bet! Cha-ching! You win! 🙂
Feast for the eyes, my friend.
Thanks. And with all that minty bee balm, it’s pretty good for the nose too. 🙂
Absolutely beautiful pictures and a nice story too. 🙂
Thanks so much. I’m glad you like it. Have a great weekend. 🙂
A few bucks richer now. It was a sure bet like the American Pharaoh.
Yep – you bet wisely. Bee Balm was looking good from the start. 🙂
C’est incroyable toute cette collection de fleurs : un vrai régal pour les yeux.
En plus, elles sont pleines de détails d’une délicatesse incroyable. Sans doute la prouesse d’un exceptionnel jardinier……
Merci, Christiane. Tu es très gentile. Avec le Bee Balm, c’est également un régal pour le nez. Ça sent comme la menthe avec citron. Mmmmmmmm. Et il semble aimer les temps pluvieux. Have a great weekend. 🙂
Blooming beautiful Jim.
Thanks. Tis the season for beautiful blooms around here. 🙂