Since today is the nicest day we will have for the rest of the week, I thought it would be a good day to head down to Skagit County and look at the
RoozenGaarde display for the annual Tulip Festival, which officially ends on Friday. Judy and I headed down after our workout class and spent a fine day in the sunshine taking pictures of tulips and daffodils. Judy was looking for some tulips that aren't terribly tempting to deer, as they eat hers every spring before she has a chance to see them bloom. Fortunately, there are some varieties that aren't as tasty to the critters, which she will order and plant for next year. Here's a closeup of that beautiful arrangement right behind us:
The display this year is almost impossible to share in all its glory, but I'll give it a try. Some of my favorite flowers stand out from the others because of having especially long stems, their shape, or because of their amazing color. Pink, purple, red, orange, yellow... all the people walking around were smiling along with me, snapping pictures and exclaiming when one particularly stunning arrangement would be discovered in full bloom.
Last year I walked to the fields behind the garden and saw rows and rows of different tulips, but this year that same area has been planted with one variety of daffodils instead. I didn't realize that each year all the bulbs are dug up and replanted. It must be a pretty wonderful job, designing the fields of flowers and seeing them come to fruition each spring.
These white beauties looked almost iridescent in the sunlight. If you enlarge the picture and look across the path, you can see that there are still tulips that have not yet begun to bloom. Some of them have intriguing names and make me wonder if perhaps I should take another trip down there this season. After the tulips are gone, the iris gardens begin to bloom, and perhaps the best idea is to spend more than just an afternoon looking at these flowers. I will leave you with a picture of three friends I made today:
I heard them gossiping about all the visitors who were oohing and aahing at the beautiful gardens. I think they were spending time taking in the sights, too.
:-)
wow. these are gorgeous displays...love the art in the first one with the swirl...bet a lot of work goes into that digging and replanting but i would say it is worth it...
ReplyDeleteI love that display garden. We have had to postpone our tulip trip this year. We hope something will still be blooming when we get up there the first week in May.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I do love visiting the tulip festivals here in the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately it's often cold and muddy which takes some of the joy out of it.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see a garden of Iris. I've never seen that and I do love bearded iris.
Another favorite of mine is daylilies. I'd also like to see a daylily garden.
Oh, these are beautiful! The tulips around here are in full bloom, and I've thought of you each time I drive past them. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself:)
ReplyDeleteThese are exquisite!The colors alone are just a visual feast.
ReplyDeleteTrish
These pictures are so bright I need sunglasses. No color here yet. sigh But we're heading to Portland this weekend - hoping for a little color there.
ReplyDeleteGosh these are wonderful photos. I'd love to find that white almost iridescent variety. I'll head over to the RoozenGaarde site from here. Thanks for bringing me along on your trip to the gardens. Much appreciated.
ReplyDeletewonderful, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteWhat beauty and to spend the day among it. Sounds like a very good day. Lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteAmazing the development in plants and the brilliant colors produced. Thanks for letting us see them.
ReplyDeleteThis garden is so incredible! I wish we had something similar in Hawaii. So April is the month to see flowers in the PNW, huh? I'll keep that in mind the next time I want to travel in that direction.
ReplyDeleteI love the photos. I planted some daffodils just like the ones in the bottom of your blog post for my Julie's garden. She loved orange. Your three new friends look just like the ones blooming in her garden. They are really do bring cheer and joy to the heart.
ReplyDeleteWe went to Skagit Valley a couple of years ago and it absolutely blew us away. Your photos here are just fabulous. You're so lucky to live there and have this to look forward to every spring.
ReplyDeleteThe photos are beautiful and makes me long for spring. We are about a week or two from the gorgeous displays in our local Longwood Gardens in PA. We have to finish this week of rain. The flowering trees in the neighborhood are ready to pop. I like the week when the yellow forsythia blends with the variety of the pinks of the trees. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
ReplyDeleteStunning. Unbelievable how much work goes into creating it, but the results are spectacular. I would love to see it in person. I can only imagine how wonderful it must smell there at Iris time, given the sweet scent they emit.
ReplyDeleteAren't these beautiful! Your Spring has Sprung way before ours. I love to see tulips, but also have the deer problem here. Daffodils seem to do well and deer don't pay much attention to them.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have any sunshine right now either. I would love to have a day walking in the sun through a garden of flowers. Hopefully some day soon.
I love Roozengaarde's! Every year I take the household down there to play in the petals. I'm holding off a little longer for this year, though, until more tulips open. This year's season seems to be starting later, and I'm sure it is the weather.
ReplyDeleteGirl, these flowers are about as magnificent as the pictures you've shared. Fabulous!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's sure feedin' my Spring Fever here!
Have a beautifully blessed day sweetie!!!
I just love Roozengarde, and you've captured it beautifully here! I can't wait to get down there, but it'll have to wait until next week. On the plus side, it looks like it's supposed to be sunny. I love those three daffodils-- they look a lot like the fried eggs I'm eating for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful, bright and colourful. A perfect way to spend a spring day. I love that last image of the Narcissus.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Is that where you took your "red" photo for the photo contest? I thought it was amazing!
ReplyDeleteTulips... almost each year I was living in Belgium I said I'd rent a car and go visit the tulip fields in Holland, and somehow never got around to it! :o(
Redesigning those displays each year sounds like A LOT of work!
I can't think of a better way to spend the one sunny day we've had so far this month. Our tulips are quite that far along, and I'm hoping to visit our local festival at the next hint of sun. Gorgeous pictures.
ReplyDeleteI would so much love to see all these flowers. We went to Holland the year after we were married, at tulip time, and I can still remember the vibrant color of the flowers. Such beauty – it makes one forget all the unpleasantness of the world.
ReplyDeleteThey are simply gorgeous!!! Oh to be there with my lens. hahaa
ReplyDeleteI have lived in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years, about 45 minutes south of these beautiful fields. But I have never been there at this time of year. Unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteOh my you just made my day..they are beautiful! The light really makes the white tulips stand out! I was quite taken with the one stand of orange tulips in the back ground of the one photo..beautiful..thanks for going!! :)
ReplyDeleteOooooo...
ReplyDeleteI have a friend in Sedro-Wooley...are the tulips anywhere near there?? I think it's on the Skagit River, isn't it?
Beautiful pictures. My fruit trees are all 'abloom...daffodils and crocuses and all manner of flowers are up and about. Ah....spring....
Wow - such beautiful shots of all those delightful flowers!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blooms, I love the circle of red and yellow.
ReplyDelete