A recent visit on a rainy day to the Volunteer Park Conservatory was filled with Spring flowers, and also these tropical beauties, Anthuriums. Exciting, aren’t they? My mom used to grow them in South Florida, so I’m always partial to them.

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more red visions, Color Carnival for more brilliant color, Window Wednesday for windows and doors, and SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots.

This hydrangea was taken at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle just this week. A greenhouse plant, of course it’s rushing the season, but it’s a vision of summer flowers to come.

For more flowers around the planet, visit Flowers For Today. Try Macro Flowers Saturday and Macro Monday, and Blue Monday also. Color Carnival has lots of brilliant color creatively seen, too.

You can always click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to return to the full blog with my latest post on top.

Years ago I used to shoot TriX film. I learned to develop my own film, make contact sheets, and print enlargements in the darkroom with a red light. Shooting black-and-white film was a great exercise in learning to “see.” I chose better subjects and composed the frame better when I wasn’t distracted by the color.

Now any photo can become black and white, but which ones are actually improved by removing the color? I’ve sifted through the archives a bit and chosen three that seem interesting. But I really want your opinion. Would these be better in the regular, real and colorful way, or does this create a mood that is worth doing?

Visit Thursday Challenge (“Black and White”) for more visions of that theme.

You can always click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to return to full blog with latest post on top.

These two checkered tulips or fritillaria are ruby colored; perfect for Ruby Tuesday. They came up very well, this second year, as did the sturdy white hyacinths behind them. Oh, the garden is really beginning!

Click on blog header above, Sara’s Fave Photos, to return to full blog with latest post on top.

The bags of tulip bulbs we planted around the front roses in the fall are up, and the first one has opened! See Macro Monday and Mellow Yellow Monday for versions of the theme.

And the delightful grape hyacinths (muscari) in the back yard are coming up so well. This is their second year and they are quite respectable looking. I love how easy they are, that they spread nicely, and that they are practically evergreen and leaf up super early. Visit Blue Monday for more blue things.

And check out Color Carnival for more brilliant colors! And I like this post so much I’ve tagged it Best Post of the Week.

Click on blog header above, Sara’s Fave Photos, to return to full blog with latest post on top.

This photo of cherry trees in bloom in the hazy sunshine is from a couple of weeks ago. Spring is moving fast here, with the big pink and white trees and the yellow forsythia now mostly giving way to the spring bulbs beginning. I wanted to show you this amazing street in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle before it was too long past.

Visit Flowers for Today for more flowers around the world.

Navigation note: Now we have a search field for you in the upper left. Thank you, Marsha Perry of Perry Internet Consulting! So if you’ve been wanting to find just tulips, say, it’s easy. And don’t forget you can always click on the header, Sara’s Fave Photos, to return to the complete blog headed up by the latest entry.

Another photo from the visit to the Japanese garden south of Seattle, Kubota Garden. Note the cherry blossom petals on the walkway, and the darling hellebore flowers in the upper left. Late afternoon heaven!

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday for more intriguing shadows. It’s a delightful collection, each and every week.

A recent visit to the lovely Kubota Garden south of Seattle had any number of photo ops, especially as the weather was sunny that day.  Oh, Seattlites love their sunny weather, when they get it.

Don’t you love that curvy trunk on the pine tree?

Visit Pink Saturday for more interesting takes on Pinkness. Try Blooming Friday to see what’s blooming here and there. And Scenic Sunday showcases scenery of all sorts.

These roses in a glass bowl are from September. I grew them, after all the work of digging a big bed for them (that done by hubby, it’s true) and digging 18 big holes to plant the 18 bushes. I was so pleased with my first year’s harvest of beauty and fragrance.

I am honored to be Guest Friend today, with my tulip photos featured on Flowers for Today. Please visit there and check out all the other talented photographers who love flowers.

And try the newest flower meme, Macro Flowers Saturday! As well as Macro Monday, a fine place to visit.

I truly love this photo, and have tagged it Best Post of the Week (Saturday to Friday). I hope you agree.

I finally got to see the famed Kubota Garden, south of Seattle. Luckily, it was on one of the gorgeous days we had here last week. This pink flower also grows here and there in people’s gardens, but I don’t remember its name. Anyone know it? The leaves and flower clusters can be quite large, as big as a person’s hand or larger.

See Pink Saturday for more pink visions. And Shadow Shot Sunday for more interesting shadows.