Sometimes I like the bud stage almost more than the fully blooming stage. All the possibilities! Like the peony buds in the post below, this scene in my front yard feels so full of life to me. Behind the dianthus budding up a storm in front, there is pink sea thrift and white alyssum blooming in back. The shadows on the rocks make me happy, too, especially in this typically gray Seattle weather.

For more interesting photos, visit SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Scenic Sunday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Pink Saturday, Floral Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. And thanks for stopping by!

Such great, round, pregnant shapes. It’s marvellous to think that these tight little spheres expand to the big, fluffy blooms like the one in the post below. By the way, I measured that one and it’s a full 7 inches across, and still going strong days later. I love peonies.

Visit Macro Monday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Pink Saturday, Floral Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2.  Do browse here first, OK? And thanks so much for visiting!

This is the first peony bloom from my garden this year. It’s very large, about as big as my hand spread open. I wish I could send you the soft, delicate fragrance, which matches the looks so well. Don’t you wish you could just have a bed of them to lie on? Not that I would be able to, of course, but I love the idea.

You might take a peek at Macro Monday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Pink Saturday, Floral Friday, and SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), if you have time. Remember that clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above will bring you to the complete photoblog experience here.

This peachy pink tropical rhododendron was at Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory a few weeks ago. What I love about these flowers is that unlike regular rhodies, they are fragrant, as well as beautiful. Such a sweet, charming aroma, wafting through the air. Hope you get to see and smell one in person some day.

This post is or will be linked to Macro Monday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Color Carnival, Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and naturally, Pink Saturday. Also, the glowing center really makes me happy, so I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week.

Don’t forget that you can download a free copy of my “Seven Secrets to Better Flower (or any!) Photos” on the sidebar at right. No fancy equipment needed to take scrumptious photos. It’s not the camera, it’s you!

The rhododendrons are really gorgeous this year. The winter has been pretty mild, with plenty of water, and with the brutally cold winter the previous year, I guess the plants are breathing a sigh of relief and blooming their hearts out in gratitude. This scene in Seattle’s Volunteer Park is just one tiny slice of the magnificent display that rhodies put on for us in the Pacific Northwest.

Visit Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera) and Pink Saturday to see lots of great photos from around the planet. And if you’ve arrived via a link, be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see the complete blog here. Have fun!

Last year I posted a photo of the leaves of this lovely garden perennial, meadow rue, and here are the flowers. Each little puff is about the width of my finger, and the flowers are on top of a nice, tall plant at my eye level, which I appreciate. Perennials are the stars of the garden, as far as I am concerned. You get them going and they just keep doing their thing, all by themselves. So helpful!

It’s very hard to get the color exactly right. They are really a soft lavender, but this photo looks kind of magenta pink-ish. Sometimes photography seems so simple but is so challenging when you want to get an accurate rendering of color. I do my best, which is all anyone can do.

Interesting blogs around the planet are Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, Pink Saturday, Color Carnival, and Outdoor Wednesday. Don’t forget to follow this blog with the widget on the right if you enjoy the photos here.

Can’t you almost smell them? Lilac shrubs are very long-lived, I understand, so sometimes there’s a bit of a wait before they will flower, even if conditions are good. I know they can get huge, as I once saw clumps of them in Maine that were the size of small apartment buildings. Here in Seattle the acid soil can be a problem, so a handful of dolomitic lime in the fall and spring has really helped. Finally, the flowers are beginning to look like something this year. They bloom on last year’s growth, so I’ll wait until next year for a bouquet.

You might check out Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Pink Saturday, Color Carnival, Outdoor Wednesday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Try a new category or tag, perhaps My Garden or Close Up, just for fun?

Here’s some round food in some squarish bins. Photo fun at the Farmer’s Market yesterday!

This photo qualifies for SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Pink Saturday (those potato skins look awfully pink), Ruby Tuesday 2, Mellow Yellow Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Scenic Sunday, and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. I sure miss that Color Carnival meme, as this would be a perfect entry. Anyone want to start that up again?

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Sometimes I just have no idea what a flower is, especially trees. Anyone have an idea? But isn’t it pretty, with the light coming through the petals like that?

Various flower memes worth visiting include Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, plus there’s  Pink Saturday, Macro Monday, Skywatch Friday and Outdoor Wednesday, just for fun.

If you’re in Seattle, be sure to hit the Volunteer Park Conservatory plant sale tomorrow, Saturday. It’s the best, and I’ll be there, signing books, too.

Ah, Seattle’s Pike Place Market in the spring! Aren’t these just the most exciting tulips, even all still in bud? They make me think of a Dutch still life painting.

You might want to wander over to Ruby Tuesday 2, Today’s Flowers, Weekend Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, Mellow Yellow Monday, and Pink Saturday for many lovely images. And if you see only this one photo here, please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above for the complete blog with lots more photos you might like.