Tuesday, April 9, 2013

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!
:-)

25 comments:

  1. it's just beautiful. glad you went dressed for the cold weather, though. hope your friend has a good trip!

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  2. I would love to head down to see that tulip festival but unfortunately there is a great big ocean in the way so I'll just have to comfort myself by looking at your photos.

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  3. they dig up every single bulb...oh my...now that is an undertaking of love eh? makes for a beautiful show though....

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  4. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing the highlights. I love tulips.

    I was ecstatic to discover a few tulips growing in one of my beds this year (they haven't bloomed yet though) that I had forgotten I'd planted. How do you forget that you've planted something? *shaking my head* but they made my day when I noticed them.

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  5. beautiful!! I love the pink ones too and I am not a "pink" person! Heck this time of year any flower is pretty! :)

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  6. I don't envy the cold weather, but those colorful tulips are to die for. Good job on the photography.

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  7. The tulips are wonderful. I love the pale pink ones best. Our Dallas Arboretum looks a bit like your RoozenGaarde. I know you've been to Dallas, have you been to the Arboretum, Djan?

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  8. It has turned cold again, so I think we'll be waiting until next week to get up to the Skagit Valley to see the tulips, but it is definitely in the plans.

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  9. My first visit to a tulip garden after moving to the Pacific Northwest was an experience I'll never forget.

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  10. These are very beautiful photos. I'm so impressed. Your tulips are just as impressive as the ones we saw in the Netherlands.

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  11. These gardeners are artists in my mind as they consider color and shape of the display. It would have been a great day if it hadn't been so darn cold. In your picture you look really cold.

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  12. Nice shots! Tulips are one of my favorite flowers.

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  13. Jan, I'm away from home and my PC for awhile (we are at our NC mountain home with my Mama and Daddy) and I cannot see these gorgeous flowers on a larger display like I want to, but when I get home I will pull them back up and look at them at length. I can tell you that I would LOVE to have been in your shoes and been able to see these flowers in person. The mixtures of tulips with daffodils and hyacinths is beautiful. I have never seen anything like what you have shared here on your blog. You and Judy certainly tiptoed through a bit of paradise, in my opinion.
    Also, I wanted to add that the photo of the raindrop-kissed tulip is worthy of publishing
    Fine photography, my friend!
    Hugs,
    Jackie
    PS. Please forgive typos and lack of punctuation. This is a new phone and I am having a terrible time making it "mind" me. I cannot get back to correct errors, but I wanted to come here and tell you how beautiful your blog is.

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  14. Looks delightful DJan. Unfortunately, everything up here is still covered with snow.

    Blessings and Bear hugs!
    Bears Noting

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  15. Ooh and aah. As I am weeding and planting my heart out here (getting ready for spring in six months time) I loved seeing this post. It has inspired me to keep going, confident (I hope) that all the effort WILL be worthwhile. Thank you.

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  16. you can never take too many pictures!!
    especially when they're this beautiful

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  17. Great tulips. Wow. Nothing can grow here yet in the flower gardens. Yesterday we had a horrible storm, and today it is ice pellets and some snow. Yikes.

    Two gal pals and I were able to go to Omaha and see the movie Quartet and I want to thank you so much for the recommendation. We enjoyed it immensely.

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  18. Beautiful! Such bright colours definitely cheer one up! Pity you didn't get any sun though...

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  19. What colorful scenes for a fun outing. :)

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  20. Truly Beautiful colours and I am amazed that each bulb is dug up and replanted - WOW - that's a lot of hard work for a crew of people. This is very lovely and we don't even have any flowers peeking up yet - WAIT A MINUTE - I raked the front yard yesterday and tulips are up about a half inch. Cleaned my bicycle yesterday on deck, pumped air in tires and got my first spin round town in, stopping to have coffee at Timmies :) Lovely Spring Post :)

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  21. Oh tulips make me happy.. just like your posts do.

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  22. Like Gigi I was thrilled last week when the tulips in my yard bloomed. Seeing all these beautiful blooms is amazing. I love your shot with the mountain in the background.

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  23. The tulips are so magnificent. You see such beauty around you and with so many friends! Whay a special time for you:)

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