The Flower Hour #50: The Floral ABCs, Exploring W, X,Y and Z

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Welcome to the final Floral ABCs this week. The timing is excellent for the 50th Flower Hour post AND my two-week break. I love when that happens.

For the Flower Hour, share your images of flowers, gardens, fields of flowers, seasonal leaves and plants, fungus, algae, cacti, trees and tree blossoms, berries, and wildflowers. Bouquets and silk/faux flowers are welcome.

alphabet graphic

If you are playing along with the Floral ABCs this week, for each letter, you can share at least one flower, plant or tree. This week we’re exploring the last four letters of the alphabet that begin with the letters W,X, Y and Z.

Remember, there are no specific themes for the Flower Hour, but please use your own photography from your archives or new images. Your original images reimagined with AI tools in post-editing are also welcome. And you have all week to link to this post.

Off we go, no guessing this time 😉

Wisteria

purple wisteria

Letter X …

…let me explain. If I had a photo of an orchid, I would have been golden, as many species of orchid begin with Letter X. So once I again, I have improvised.

Xeriscape

Xeriscape is a style of landscaping designed specifically for areas that are susceptible to drought or where water conservation is practiced. The use of native plants and wildflowers is recommended depending upon your climate zone. The term comes from the Greek word xeros, meaning “dry,” combined with “landscape.”

Here in dry, alpine Eastern Washington, flowers that thrive here in late spring, whether wild or cultivated, include Tickseed Coreopsis (yellow-red aster), the Arrowleaf Balsamroot (also aster, sunflower family) and lavender, shown here.

I admit to getting some help to create the xeriscape image with AI. I combined the three floral images you see in this gallery. ChatGPT combined them quite nicely and realistically into the Xeriscape example. It wouldn’t be unlikely to come upon a scene like this.

xeriscape of various florals

Yarrow

I found this pretty “common” Yarrow in my media files!

Common White yarrow
Yarrow

And last, but not least!

Zinnia

zinnias
Zinnias in a Planter

New to The Flower Hour photo challenge? Please check out my page for more information! I encourage “double-dipping” with other blog challenges if you do not want to create a separate post.

As we head into Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and Spring in the Southern, seasonal blooms and leaves on trees are welcomed and encouraged!

There you have it! A great summer run of the Floral ABCs that began in June. I hope you enjoyed the challenge of finding the appropriate plant for the letters of the alphabet! Should we do it again next summer? Let me know in the comments.

Reminder: I’ll be on a two week break from the blog while we visit Europe October 2 – 14. During this time, Pam has graciously agreed to host the Flower Hour on Oct 6 and Oct 13. Please stop by her blog and subscribe to get her posts. Enchanting Essex

I am open to other ideas for sharing our collective love of flowers, plants and trees, so feel free to offer your ideas. I’ll be back October 20 for Flower Hour #53 with an autumn subtheme, and maybe some pretty florals from Europe!

“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the mind.” – Luther Burbank

signature autumn

© 2026 Terri Webster Schrandt | secondwindleisure.com. All rights reserved. All content on this blog is protected by copyright and may not be copied, reposted, or reblogged without written permission.


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69 responses to “The Flower Hour #50: The Floral ABCs, Exploring W, X,Y and Z”

  1. Beautiful images again. I totally gave up on the letter X, didn’t even think of xeriscaping despite working on paintings of sage and other deserty plants… Here’s mine: https://elizabatz.wordpress.com/2026/09/30/alphabetical-flowers-w-x-y-z/

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  2. […] More of Terri’s Flower Hour: Exploring the Letters W, X, Y and Z. […]

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  3. Your xeriscape is very creative. I love the Yarrow, and Zinnias; and the quote by Luther Burbank. Have a wonderful and safe trip, Terri. 🌻💮🪻💖

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Eugi! Glad I could make letter x work!

      Like

  4. Oh, yarrow. New to me. It’s stunning and the rest of the flowers.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks for looking, Hazel! So many flowers, so little time!

      Like

  5. Beautiful, Terri – have a wonderful trip!!

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Well I learned a new word, xeriscape.
    Who says you can’t teach an old dog?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Haha, love it, Dawn, thank you!

      Liked by 2 people

  7. You did great with the alphabet but you know me! Rogue again!

    Floral Focus

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Bernie! It was a fun subtheme, and educational too.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. And now you’re done with “A” to “Z” … I wouldn’t have guessed the last Zinnia as a Zinnia. I went to Emily Frank Gardens on Sunday, hoping to find a nice selection of Sunflowers and they were all gone!

    Here is my post from yesterday, with its Swamp Roses, Purple Loosestrife, Wild Black-eyed Susans and Queen Anne’s Lace embedded within the post.

    Marsh Madness! A morning chockful of whimsy and beauty. | WALKIN’, WRITIN’, WIT & WHIMSY

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Very different from the xeriscape in our dry area, that’s for sure. We been having good rains off and on and, last week or so, torrential rains twice in one day, causing lots of flooding. This round has been much more rain, stop to soak in, rain a bit more, etc. Much more pleasant!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Janet! My stepmom lives south of Tucson and they were getting drenching rain. We sure could use it here.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. These were fun Terri. Yes, I enjoyed this challenge and it would be fun to do again. Have a great vacation.

    https://troyerslovinglife.blogspot.com/2026/09/taking-in-life-around-meflowerhour.html

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Kirstin! For me as host, I’ll begin a new collection of plants representing ABCS for 2027. It was a fun subtheme. 😁

      Like

  11. Beautiful images, Terri. I especially love your Yarrow photo. Have a wonderful holiday in Europe!

    I have photos of rudbeckia and castor bean flowers to share. Here’s my contribution: https://natalietheexplorer.home.blog/2026/09/25/a-leisurely-walk-at-sunnyside/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Natalie! We’re super excited!

      Like

  12. […] on the horizon. Yellow Rudbeckia flowers look like a ray of sunshine. Linking with Terri’s The Flower Hour. Castor Oil or Castor Bean plant with its showy flower spikes and deep bronze foliage. A lovely […]

    Liked by 1 person

  13. So pretty Terri. The yarrow is a fabulous photo.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Brian! I’d forgotten about the pretty yarrow and was so glad to have it for the ABC challenge!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. what fun it’s been Terri. I like what you did for x. Nice reminder we need to use less water.
    whats next for flower hour?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Carol! Learning more about xeriscape gave me some good ideas for gardening here.
      The Flower Hour will just continue through autumn and winter with random postings of various plants, flowers and trees. Autumn leaves can be an optional subtheme, and perhaps holiday florals in December. Anything goes! Please share an idea if you wish.

      Like

  15. […] we come to the end of the Alphabet in Terri’s Flower Hour W,X,Y and […]

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Love a bit of improvising, Terri, but most of all I like that wisteria shot. Happy hols, hon xx

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Jo! I had that wisteria lurking in the cloud and was so happy to rediscover it. I’ll wave at you from our plane on Saturday morning 🙂

      Like

      1. I’ll wave back xx

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Very creative to do a xeriscape! I hunted through my many orchid photos for one of the x—- varieties to no avail and had to improvise as well.

    The wisteria and yarrow are beautiful!

    Here’s mine: https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-flower-hour-wrapping-up-alphabet.html

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Kym! Like you I’d hoped I had some x orchids from our trip to Hawaii a few years ago. Another blogger posted her Willow tree. Now why didn’t I think of that? Ill save the autumn Willow leaves for another time!

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  18. Beautiful and clever, especially with Xeriscape! Have a fun vacation. Stay safe.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Anne! As the host I needed some sort of an example it it worked for X.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Well done with xeriscape, and zinnias are such a cheerful way to end your series. Have a great trip. Here’s mine this week: https://grahamsisland.com/2026/09/29/waiter-theres-an-orchid-in-my-tea/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much, Graham. Exploring the ABCs was educational for me. It was nice to realize the xeriscape could be a real possibility with the choice of plants.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Those are good choices.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Jacqui! It made for a great finale to the ABCs! 🌼 🌸

      Like

  21. […] Part of a display at the Hilo Orchid Show. Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour. See more responses here. […]

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Beautiful pictures 💞💞💞

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  23. Wonderful picture and have a great vacation break

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Very clever, Terri. You found some terrific photographs.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Robbie! Letter X was totally luck when I discovered the word xeriscape!

      Like

  25. […] The Flower Hour #50: The Floral ABCs, Exploring W, X,Y and Z […]

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Beautiful photos, Terri! You say “Xeriscape“, we say “Desert Scape”. They are meant for the same thing. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, John, I read that somewhere. My flowers in the reimagined xeriscape grow here easily, but we’re not technically in a desert.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Your area looks nothing like a desert to me, so lush!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Those pine trees love the dry rocky soil that defines Eastern Washington.

        Liked by 1 person

  27. Gorgeous images, Terri!

    Like

  28. […] to The Flower Hour, Floral Friday Fotos and Nature […]

    Liked by 1 person

  29. A delightful gallery, Terri. I love your bespoke local floral mix of yellow-red asters, lavender, and Balsamroot sunflowers.

    Thank you for the wonderful introduction to the word “Xeriscape!”

    I agree wholeheartedly with the quote by Luther Burbank.
    Safe travels. Enjoy!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Suzette! I’m glad you appreciate my attempt to satisfy letter X! ☺️

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You are welcome, Terri. Great work!

        Liked by 1 person

  30. What a delightful way to bring the Floral ABCs to their final four letters! 🌸 I especially enjoyed your creative solution for “X” with Xeriscape—sometimes a little improvisation makes the journey even more interesting. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Hi, Terri! 🙋

    Wonderful flowers! I thoroughly enjoyed looking at such amazing flowers, especially the zinnia flowers. I hope you have a very nice trip to Europe, and I’m looking forward to your next post on October 20th. Two of my projects would have seen new major releases until then, so wish me luck.

    I hope you have a very great rest of your week. Stay amazing! ☺️

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Aptivi! The Floral ABCs was a fun subtheme to host. Enjoy your week ahead!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re most welcome, Terri! And that’s very true. 👍 Thank you so much! Of course, I’ll enjoy the week ahead. ☺️

        Liked by 1 person

  32. […] For Terri’s The #Flower Hour #50 The Floral ABCs W,X, Y,Z – 29 September […]

    Liked by 1 person

  33. Pretty flowers 💐 makes me think of Spring/Summer when we just started Fall here in Pennsylvania I especially like the letters done in flowers 💐

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Crystal! Our flowers are almost done as cold nights take hold! Enjoy your autumn in Pennsylvania!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I will, Evening Asters already in their purple bloom and leaves starting to change heir colors

        Liked by 1 person

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I’m a former university adjunct Professor and retired recreation & parks practitioner living in North-Eastern Washington State near the Idaho border. Second Wind Leisure Perspectives is my blog about living a leisure lifestyle, including photography, friends, fitness, and fun.

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