Luscious

I have nothing newsworthy today so I decided to share with you some flowers I enjoy every day since they bloom just outside the gate that leads to my residence. I love the color - does anyone know what these are called?

More Early Blossoms

More spring colors! I don't know what these are called. They look like some kind of miniature Iris.

Early Blossoms

On the right side of yesterday's snowy photo you can see the branches of a small tree. If you look very carefully you can see they are bursting with tiny pinkish flowers. Despite the continued cold weather there are lots of other blossoms beginning to appear. Here are some that were braving yesterday's brisk winds along the West Bay Walkway.

Flowers in December

After yesterday's experiments with depth of field I went out for my walk hoping to see something that would lead to an inspired use of this new understanding. I don't think I succeeded with either of these photos but it was so nice to see some blue sky and some flowers that it doesn't matter. I don't know what this flowering bush is called but any plant that can put out such clusters of spring in mid-December gets my respect.

Rhododendrons

The glorious flowers above are Rhododendrons. There are more than a thousand species of this flowering bush found in many different parts of the world. I suspect these are a local species since they were blooming last Sunday in a native plants garden in Beacon Hill Park. There are a surprising number of other early blooms out now including another favorite of mine, the crocus.

Red at Hatley Castle

Here's one of the reds from Hatley Castle's Italian Garden. It's really a riot of blooms and the colours are only a part of the experience - there are some wonderful scents and sounds. And there are other things to see as well - check back tomorrow for a bit of an overbite....

Blues at Hatley Castle

More flowers and a busy bumblebee from the Italian Garden at Hatley Castle.

Yellow and White at Hatley Park

Yesterday I promised a bouquet from Hatley Castle Gardens and I thought we'd start with some yellow and white. These were photographed in the Italian Garden.