Red Butte part 2: The Rest of the Flowers

There was plenty of other floral beauty blooming beside the daffodils at Red Butte

The mountain views surrounding the garden were gorgeous as well.

Sometimes it was hard to decide where to look!

Ruffled pansies: I think I first saw the ruffled variety just about five years ago.

Wonder what the pansy breeders will think to do next.

A wild flower that I should know the name of.

I must brush up on my wild flower identification skills before summer arrives.

Families enjoying the entry point lawn. I do hope they meandered a bit before they settled in.

We will never forget you, forgetmenots.

Variegated leaves add so much to gardens.

The scent of these flowers do a lot too!

Azalea were being grown inside a green house area.

Along with this...

And these tender plants.

Magnolias unlike the ones that grow in the southern climates.

(People traded cameras with strangers for picture taking. A friendly custom don't you think?)

The shrivels glassy berries hang on despite the new growth that is coming on to push them off.

Or perhaps they remain through winter to become a treat for returning migrating birds?

Again: variegated leaves add so much interest to gardens!

Don't know the name....

Grape something something...can't spell it right!

Hypnotic flowers. Just stare into the center and see what happens.

Tiny non-showy buds on a tree that will be covered in leaves in a week.

Ahh...the star of this post: Lenten Rose, AKA Hellebore. I like calling them Lenten Rose better. Check THIS picture for an idea of how many kinds there are.

Freckles are wonderful! Like starry constellations captured on flower petals.

Other roses had veins instead of freckles.

I think I'd like to add some Lenten Roses to our home garden.

Still don't know their name....

Blue that is the kind I love to wear.

More tiny Forget-me-nots.

The heart of Red Butte Gardens is a pond with huge koi fish.

A Canada goose pair swam around adding grace to the scene.

I tried to chat them up; mentioned Molson, pronounced "color" as "colour", admired Nanaimo bars.

They apparently were trying to shed their roots, and acted as those all those things meant nothing to them.

Couples were taking in the scenes everywhere.

The heat was stirring up the first thunderheads of the season.

There is a fish food dispenser on the pier; children love to feed the fish, and the ducks and geese love to get in on the fun as well.

This is the time of year where the trees remind you they are just as beautiful in spring as they are in the fall.

Oh...I should have mentioned that you should imagine hearing a waterfall in the distance as you view these pictures.

There are several thorough out the garden.

More shriveled overwintered fruit ripe and ready for the birds to enjoy.

This would make a good drawing or painting exercise: creating a white form using shadows for shaping.

(Yes, they did smell lemon-y, just like magnolias should.)

Funny little things...not pussywillows...don't know what they are called but there sure are fun.

Quince?

More magnolia.

A bride getting photographed.

(The bride has her work cut out for her if she want to compete with this kind of scene.)

Another kind of flower...

The children's area of the garden is incredibly fun.

I liked how the grandparents were sitting, Mom was playing like a kid herself, and the children were facinated by the idea of stepping stones over a fish pond.

The official name of the magnolia in this location.

Pansies with Perms.

Pansies as Poodles.

Pansies that have Primped.

(Still fascinated by the different sizes that things come in.)

Hope I did the rest of the garden justice.

Hope that you enjoyed another lap around the garden as well!