Let's See What Else is Blooming

Spring here in the Pacific Northwest is grand and glorious - everything bursts into bloom and because of our cool climate the flowers last an unbelievably long time.

We went for a couple rides lately and these are the flowers I found in bloom.

 Allium

 Columbine (Granny's Bonnet) - with a bit of Cottonwood fuzz stuck on a bud - we have hundreds - perhaps thousands of Cottonwoods in town (and more in the country) and when their seeds fly it is like snow - they form deep drifts along the sides of the roads.

 Not sure of the name of this bush - it is similar to the familiar Snowball Bush but the "snowballs" line the branches, rather than forming at the end of the branches.  We see these all over town, as well as the traditional Snowball Bushes

 With Rhododendrons

 Close-up of the "snowballs"

 Rhododendrons are blooming all over town - I was impressed by the way this one had been pruned and formed into a tree shape

 One can never have too many rhododendrons

 A very tall white Lilac bush - it was about 20 feet tall.

 Ox Eye Daisies along the roadsides - there are carpets of them everywhere this time of the year, sometimes the hillsides are solid white with the Ox Eye Daisy (small, wild cousin of the Shasta Daisy)

 And then there are the irises - we drove out to see our favorite little plot of irises - about 30 x 30 feet - just full of irises.  You can write down the names of your favorites (they are all labeled) and in the autumn you receive a phone call to come and pick up the tubers of the ones you decided to buy.  It is a small garden, set in the edge of a hay field - and full of glory!!!

 Some of my favorites - though it is hard to pick one favorite.

 Over half the Irises were not blooming - perhaps next week end we'll go out again and get more photos.

 Elderberries grow in vast patches here - and sometimes just a long bush.  This is a photo from last year, but they are blooming right now - we just happened to drive by the Sisters at the right time when a lone Elderberry bush was in full bloom.  Don't you think the Sisters make a fabulous background? 

 And of course our beloved Dandelions - fields of them.  They are done blooming and the wishes are appearing.  I'd like to be near a field of wishes when a breeze comes up.  Like Fairies dancing in the breeze.

 Spring is glorious!!!!