In a sunbreak a couple of days ago, I took advantage of the great spring weather to head out to one of my favorite haunts, the Volunteer Park Conservatory, one of Seattle’s true hidden gems. They have redone the entry and it is so fabulous! Now a curved space greets you and you feel surrounded by the tropical foliage and flowers. And the shadows of the Peacock Window are a bonus.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday for more intriguing shadows seen everywhere and SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots. If you see only one photo below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog. Thanks!

Not sure whether this is best called Japonica, Pieris, or Andromeda, this big shrub with tiny bells is actually fragrant! The white-flowered one is, too. Lean your nose in and inhale. Very sweet. I had no idea until someone told me last year. This pink one is blooming at my driveway and I caught it on our rare burst of sunshine on Saturday.

The red stems count for Ruby Tuesday, I think. Visit Macro Monday, Outdoor Wednesday and Pink Saturday, and if you have a minute, do click on Free Photos “next door” for an additional selection of pretty flower and scenic photos.

This shrub used to be seen all over, but not so much any more. Plants have fashions, and this one is passe, apparently. I grew up seeing these blooming forsythias everywhere in the earliest spring. My old house had a big one that was hardly flowering because big trees had grown up around it, shading it, but one branch touched the ground and rooted, so I took it with me. And three years later in some sun, look at it!

Visit Macro Monday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival, Outdoor Wednesday, SOOC Sunday and Today’s Flowers and be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos to view the complete blog if you see only one photo below.

This weekend is finally sunny! Yay! The garden is basking. These daffodil buds in my front yard are trying so hard to become flowers. Happy Spring, everyone!

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, Today’s Flowers, SOOC Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday and Macro Monday for more photos with a theme. Check out Free Photos next door to see what’s new, and do click on Sara’s Fave Photos here if there is only one below.

These petunias were planted on a huge, long, tall wire wall at Furney’s Nursery, south of Seattle, WA. It’s an amazing display that they have been doing for at least a couple of summers now. I’ve also planted some petunia seeds which are now just showing their seed leaves, and may show them this photo to inspire them to grow up big, strong and beautiful!

Visit Macro Friday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Color Carnival, Pink Saturday and Today’s Flowers for some really wonderful photos. If only one photo below, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete display.

From about a year ago, here’s a breath of Spring for you from the Pike Place Market near the waterfront in downtown Seattle. I sure love those bouquets. I’ve got to go down there again soon, just to breathe the scent of the flowers. And to take photos, of course.

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival and Ruby Tuesday for more neat photos, and SOOC has more straight out of the camera stuff. Do check next door at Free Photos to see what’s new. And if there’s only one photo below, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos to see the rest of them.

This is a very special cactus to me. A couple of little tiny pieces, the size of the tip of my pinky finger, were taken from a 6-inch plant of my mother’s in Florida after she passed away in 2003, and each eventually rooted and became a plant itself. The great thing about this particular cactus is that the spines are curved so that you can touch it, lightly, and not get stuck. Each plant now has “fingers” the size of my thumb, and this morning I was shocked to see it blooming! And do you see all the little buds on it?

I love this cactus and its surprising flowers and am calling this my Best Post of the Week.

Visit Today’s Flowers, Macro Flowers Saturday, SOOC Sunday and Cactus Monday for more fun blog sites. Check out Free Photos next door to see what’s new, and do click on Sara’s Fave Photos here if there is only one below.

Haven’t been to Pike Place Market in awhile. If you want to experience the flower vendors and their incredible flowers to the nth degree, the best day is probably Friday, as they pick on Thursday and on Friday ramp up for the weekend crush of a crowd. All year long, rain or shine. The greatest free show in Seattle, and the bouquets amazingly cheap.

These dahlias were photographed in September. Right now it seems as if flower season will never get here, but of course it will.

Thursday Challenge‘s theme this week is “Many.” I’m submitting this for an entry. It’s a good one for Color Carnival, Today’s Flowers and SOOC also. While you’re here, try a new tag like “dahlia” or “bouquet.” Be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos to view the complete blog if you see only one photo below.

This lovely scene was one of the displays at the NW Flower & Garden Show last week. Well done, I thought. This year’s show was filled with great stuff, especially for a flower and scenic photo enthusiast like me. And I thought that the lighting was a bit better in most of the displays, also. I hate flash and this light looks almost like outdoors to me. My camera (little Canon S90) was able to shoot this at 1/25, which is why the water looks so soft and almost steamy. Kind of odd, but pretty, too. And not bad for hand held!

Visit Watery Wednesday for more water photography. It’s kind of a cheat, but it’s sort of outdoors, or a good approximation of outdoors, so I’m entering this in the Outdoor Wednesday and Scenic Sunday memes, also. SOOC Sunday has more straight out of the camera photos, and Wordless Wednesday has all kinds of interesting images.

Check out Free Photos to see what’s new, and do click on Sara’s Fave Photos here if there is only one below.

Oh, the flowers of late summer! I’ve noticed that the items in my archive that are half a year away always seem to be the most compelling. Do we always want what we don’t have? I do love dahlias and especially miss them since my own were such no-shows last summer. Maybe this year I’ll get some going so I can have bouquets like this again.

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more interesting photos containing red. Color Carnival has brilliant color, Mellow Yellow Monday has yellows, and SOOC has more straight out of the camera stuff. And don’t forget to check out the latest uploads on Free Photos next door. Remember, if only one photo here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete blog.

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