Tulip time is here again

A RoozenGaarde display

My friend Judy and I headed south to visit the RoozenGaarde tulips yesterday. It rained a bit on the way there, but by the time we reached the gardens, the rain had stopped. It wasn't warm, by any means, and we were both glad to have dressed appropriately. As usual, I took way too many pictures and think I'll just put the majority of them up on my Flickr site, when I get around to it, that is. For now, I'm showing some highlights.

Judy and me tiptoeing through the tulips

I asked a passerby if she would take a picture of the two of us, and it turned out pretty well, I think. You can see that many of the tulips behind us won't be at their peak for another couple of days, or even longer if the weather stays as cold as it is right now. The skies are still pretty dreary today, so it wouldn't have been much different. Judy is on her way to the East Coast anyway, so yesterday was the only chance we would get.

I learned from their literature that they dig up every single bulb and plant fresh each year, making different displays with early, medium, and late-blooming tulips. They also intersperse the tulips with daffodils and hyacinths, as you can see here. I thought that perhaps the clouds would lift for a few shots with some "sun breaks" as we call it here in the Pacific Northwest.

This was the only shot I got that showed any of the mountain view. As I was preparing my pictures, I wondered what that strange shape is next to the bush on the left. When I enlarged it, I realized it was another photographer. I thought about perhaps trying to remove him with photo manipulation, but it wasn't worth it. I had to straighten almost every picture I took, and many needed to be lightened. A field of daffodils in the mid-distance are past their peak, but they are still very pretty.

This is a closeup showing a favorite tulip of mine that has many petals. I've taken a picture of them every year at RoozenGaarde, and I never tire of their beauty. They look especially fetching when covered with raindrops.

This particular garden will be just perfect in a week, if anybody reading this is thinking about heading down to the Tulip Festival in a day or two. It goes on all of April, but in years past the best viewing time has been early in the month; other times at the end. It all depends on the weather. I love the way they plant solid colors and then other displays with different tulips mixed together.

We had a great time and then drove to LaConner for lunch before heading home. We shared a table with a couple of women from Puyallup who had driven north to see the flowers. It was a lovely day spent with one of my favorite people, and our annual tulip fest was a feast for the eyes!
:-)