The World as Garden

It seems that way in the Pacific Northwest in April! Amazing what consistent moisture and cool temperatures will do for flowering plants.

I told you about the cherry blossoms that blew our minds in my last post, but there were so many other wonderful flowers everywhere I looked.

The rhododendrons shown above were in the park across from our hotel in Centralia. Here's another shot of them, with a young human along for scale:

These prodigious bloomers come in all kinds of colors. I really liked the red ones, but these pale lavender beauties in Tumwater came in a close second:

And they're so showy, they're pretty even when they're just budding...

almost there! at Tumwater

As I knew from Amy, tulips are what this region is really famous for. And although I was sorry not to be able to get up to see the fields near her place (my one gripe about the Seattle area concerns the traffic) we did get to see lots of tulips decorating flower beds everywhere...

also in the Centralia Square park

in downtown Seattle

a very distinctive variety, back in Centralia

We missed the peak of East Texas' dogwoods a few weeks ago, but were rewarded by some lovely examples of this tree in Washington.

the usual white variety at the children's museum in Olympia

a pretty pink variant in Centralia...

...up close and personal

There were lots of blooms I couldn't identify, but enjoyed all the same...

gorgeous orange in downtown Seattle

extravagantly fragrant flowering tree in Olympia

Even the leaves of many plants were stunning...

striking fleshy foliage in Olympia

autumn-looking leaves in spring, near Pike Market

While most of the showiest displays were cultivated, even the wildflowers joined in the performance. Yes, even the lowliest of them...dandelions never look this good in south Texas!

flowery baseball outfield at a park in Centralia