buds

It was gray and drizzly when I headed to the garden for a bit of color. I found buds in shades of pink and purple, soon to open as (a variety of) bluebells.

3 days, 3 gardens

Three gardens called for visits during my stay last week in southeastern Pennsylvania. I was delighted to see flowers at a blooming stage several weeks ahead of that at home; that means I will be able to experience two spring blooms!

My first stop was at Jenkins Arboretum. While many weren't wearing flowers yet, some of the azalea and rhododendron were in full bloom. There were tiny flowers popping up close to the ground as well. These small flowers are known as creeping phlox.

The next day it was time to wander at Chanticleer. I've been there before in the summer and fall, never this early in the growing season. Flowers were growing in beds and were also scattered through tall grass. I loved the embedded tulips!

On my last garden visit of the week I was joined by my sister. We walked through the tulips at Longwood Garden. The tulips lived outside in two large spaces on either side of the property. The gardens had a more formal look here, each section containing a block of the same color tulips.

For more floral beauty, please visit my galleries.

Photos from Jenkins Arboretum and Chanticleer are in the gallery two gardens :: 2019.
Photos from Longwood Gardens are in the gallery Longwood Gardens :: 2019.

The slideshow button in the gallery header provides a way to easily see all of the photos in each gallery.

stepping back

I wasn't imagining the difference in spring growth between home and southeastern Pennsylvania! As soon as I crossed into New York the trees lining the roads were either still bare or wearing pale green as they were starting to leaf out.

I'm looking forward to watching flowers emerge again.

tulips!

Today's wandering destination was Longwood Gardens. With the garden's highlight on spring blooms, beds of tulips created a pop of bright color.

to Chanticleer

Sun, wind, and a comfortable temperature pulled me outside for a walk at Chanticleer Garden this afternoon.

There was color everywhere!

leaping forward

My geographic location has changed for a few days. The floral displays in southeastern Pennsylvania are a good few weeks ahead of those in northeastern Massachusetts. That means I will be able to enjoy a double bloom this season, awesome!

Today's garden wander was at Jenkins Arboretum

a splash of pink, rhododendron at Jenkins Arboretum

in the grass

Seeing a daffodil in the grass is a delight.

a quiet sea

In the interval between waves the ocean wears a quiet look.

early tulip

When the rain (temporarily) stopped late in the morning I grabbed my camera and headed to the gardens of the Stevens-Coolidge Place to see there were any tulips in bloom. While most are still tightly closed, a few show bright color.

high tide

It was just past high tide when I arrived at Hampton Beach. The ocean was wild, the wind was strong, and the sky was decorated with clouds.

It was a beautiful day for a walk by the sea.

a pop of yellow

As I walked on a bridge across the Shawsheen River (in Andover, MA) a pop of yellow caught my eyes. A forsythia in bloom decorated the river bank, creating a mirror image in the quiet waters.

mill town

Yesterday afternoon I grabbed my camera and headed to Lawrence for a walk in the North Canal Historic District.

dancing flowers

Tiny flowers dance on a small hillside, sharing a pop of color.

Maudslay afternoon

I headed to Maudslay State Park today to check the state of the flowers. While most of the flowers in bloom are of the tiny close-to-the-ground variety I did find daffodils.

I also found a single early-blooming azalea. There were no leaves present, only flowers in bright pink.

trail marker

I love it when trails are clearly marked.

I don't always know where the trail will end but it's good to have something to follow.

at Harold Parker State Forest

blue sky

The air is crisp and the ground is dry. It was a good day for a walk in the woods.

snowdrops, open

I saw the first snowdrops of the season on March 18th. They were hiding with their petals tightly closed.

On April 6th I visited the same spot to find a sea of snowdrops, petals open.

trees

A mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees stand on the edge of Peirce Island.

a happy bee

A quick visit this afternoon confirmed that the gardens here are still in a tiny flower stage. I saw crocus, snowdrops, chionodoxa (also known as glory-of-the-snow), and scilla siberica, no daffodils yet!

A happy bee dipped into an opening glory-of-the-snow.

rusty

A sign sits outside of a shop in Portsmouth, NH, rusty but readable.

dreamy

Crocus in light purple creates a scene for dreaming.

golden

April begins. A single crocus wearing golden yellow petals has emerged from a sea of green leaves.