These red fritillaria, or checkered tulips, decorating my garden this week just float my boat. Both this kind and the other more purple-and-cream color a few posts below are doing so well in my garden. I love things that just come up and bloom, all by themselves. Those are grape hyacinths in the background, also easy and fun, and so welcome in springtime.

Dark red checkered tulips, or fritillaria, in the garden

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It’s raining. Yesterday there were a couple of breaks from the wet; today not so much. Here is a tulip out in front of my house taken on a weekend afternoon in Seattle.

Raindrops on dark pink and orange tulip petals

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These sweet and strange fritillaria bulbs have been coming up in my garden like champs. The checkered patterns on the sides are so extraordinary that when I first saw a drawing of them, I thought it was a joke. Now that I can grow them in my garden, I love the tops like paper lanterns and their lovely, nodding stems. So shy, so strange.

Frittilaria (checkered tulips) nod their heads, in a rainy flowerbed

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In Belltown (a trendy neighborhood in Seattle) on Friday, lots of cherry trees, some with these burgundy colored leaves, were blooming. Here’s a pretty photo with the heavenly blue sky showing in the background. NOTE: I’ve been advised that these are plum blossoms, not cherry. Still beautiful!

Ornamental cherry blossoms at the peak of their bloom.

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The weather has been so cold, gray and rainy, but there have been “sunbreaks.” This was taken during one of them at this time last year. You are looking south on First Avenue in Burien, not so far from me, south of Seattle. Puffy clouds and pink trees make a landscape for me, any time.

Spring scene with cherry trees and clouds in Burien, Washington.

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Here’s a bouquet that you just don’t see very often: a giant star. It was another of those florist competitors in the NWFGS in Seattle last month. You shudda seen it!

Dark red roses, hydrangea and chartreuse mums and more make up this gigantic star bouquet

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I have been so happy with my amaryllis bulb which has now rebloomed twice! Here’s a close up of some marvelous petal detail. Can it get any redder?

Detail of backlit amaryllis petals in close up

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At the NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle that just ended, the theme was Hollywood, and I believe the name of this giant monolith of a display was Sunset Strip. Maybe because it is kind of the colors of the sunset? It was at least 4 or 5 feet tall. Here’s a piece of the center section.

A rainbow of flowers at the bouquet competition in the NW Flower & Garden Show

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Well, the NW Flower & Garden Show in Seattle is over until next year. We had a lot of fun, met some wonderful people, and sold some books, jewelry and prints. Here is a photo I took of one of the florist competition bouquets. Such loveliness.

Lavender roses and orchids in a lovely NWFGS bouquet

Joining up in Monday Mellow Yellows, Catching the Light Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Macro Monday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Ruby Tuesday 2 and Pink Saturday. Stop by and visit them if you get a chance. Thanks so much for stopping by here! Remember, if there is only one photo visible here, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to see the rest.

I know it’s a bit of late notice, but I’ve just been so busy preparing for my SLIDESHOW of pretty pictures from my book coming right up on Weds., Feb. 6, 2013 in Des Moines, WA at 10:45am. Lunch is included with admission of $9. The Chinook District of the Washington Garden Clubs is having me speak and show images from my book “Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory.” The amazing and gifted senior gardener David Helegson will also be there to say what’s going on with the drama at the Conservatory, and answer horticultural questions, too. Here’s the link to the facebook page.

And something new! Besides having the book and some of the sparkly jewelry we make from it there, we’ll also have the brand new 8×10 matted prints of some favorite images from my book! This photo does NOT do them justice.

Matted photo prints from “Flowers of Volunteer Park Conservatory”

The fern, I think, is my own top fave. You?

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