324,000 Bulbs!

Yup, it is that time of year again at Red Butte Garden.
Daffodils galore!
A few years back I made a point of photographing each and every daffodil at the garden (wink)...
This year I didn't try to keep track.

This year I took my tripod and three lens, include the sort of challenging 50 mm lens.
That's the one that only zooms as much as you move yourself closer to whatever it is you are trying to photograph.

This year I had my telephoto lens too.
It made quite a difference when taking more distant views.

OK...all together now...lonely cloud...wandering...host of golden daffodils.
Yes, thanks to my Mom, that poem played in my mind as I viewed the blooming masses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are still flower beds in the garden where the daffodils have yet to open.
Right now I would venture to say there were around 10 varieties in bloom.
The long "nosed" daffodils are so interesting.
I am at a loss to declare which variety of daffodils I like best. 

Red Butte is surrounded by snow capped mountains.
The garden is spectacular nearly year around due to thoughtful textural planting that manages to look great even in winter snow.

 

 

Overnight rain had left jewel like droplets on the daffodils; the rain was not heavy so none of the flowers were pounded down.

I did make a point of getting to the garden early to catch the morning sunshine doing a back light on the blossoms.
I arrived at ten; the garden opens at 9, and I noted a Japanese gentleman leaving the garden with his substantial looking camera as I was arriving.
Yeah, the light was probably amazing at nine...

 

A little self portrait there in the glass work...

So there I was, loving the daffodils.
Then I was loving the tulip tree...especially with the fuzzy buds just beginning to crack open in the sunshine.
(Considering this shot for enlarging for above my fireplace mantle....)

I've mastered getting a nice out of focus background.
Somewhere along the line I have lost my ability to shoot with everything in focus though.
Need to study up on my camera settings again.

 

The crocus was sporatically in bloom around the garden.
I do wish they would last longer than the usual two weeks per plant.

My finger to demonstrate how tiny this daffodil really is.

Love striped leaves on crocus and how the flower glows when back lit.

 

 

The blue to violet to purple: thrills me every year.
Glad I can still plop myself prone on the ground to enjoy seeing it.

The flower beds will be filled with summer color in a few months.

 

The Lenten Roses were blooming, appropriately matching the Liturgical calendar.
I never cared much for the flower until I encounted them at Red Butte and learned to tip up the nodding flower to see the complex design inside the freckled petals.

 

Apparently I am not the only admirer of Lenten Rose's centers....

Oh how I tried to get a focused shot of that red and yellow stripped bumble bee!

Doesn't this look like a painting?
Weird huh?
It would make a smashing watercolor...maybe someday I will give it a shot.

 

 

Shoot...didn't get my finger in this picture.
The "mini" dutch iris is about four inches tall!
My thumb could cover the whole face of the flower.

They are just so darn cute...and come in so many colors.
I think I like the purple-deep blue variety the best.

 

One thing that I especially like about Red Butte gardens is the native trees that are allowed to just grow, and there are dirt paths that wind through them.
I can have a formal garden visit and an out-in-the-forest visit all in the same day

 

 

The mini dutch iris in white.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard... 

And a nice couple that were visiting from Canada.

(The Canada goose were swinging by in pairs overhead and it was pretty easy to get a photo of them because they honked non-stop as they flew.  I just had to listen...figure out where they were headed...aim...and shoot!)

These two put up a big noisy fuss when I walked down the path towards the pond.
They flew off...and flew around and around in circles over my head and then finally landed on the amplitheater stage.
They kept looking around, then put their heads together, then looked around some more like if they were trying to decide when it would be safe to go back to the pond.

 

I've heard of Cabbage Roses.
This is Ornamental Cabbage that looks like a rose...
Pretty...I think I need to plant ornamental cabbage in my shade garden at home.

Well, thanks for tagging along on this years Red Butte Garden Daffodil Days.

I did make a slide show with additional pictures if you want to see more or just want to see the pictures full sized.
Just go ahead and click HERE

Goshiki Koto Hime

Our Goshiki Koto Hime arrived last Friday.
Tate positioned  himself for snoopervising duties.

 Bitsy on the other hand was clearly stunned that we were getting a Goshiki Koto Hime at all!

(I am not sure what Goshiki Koto Hime means...it is a Japanese name, but perhaps it sounds similar to some words in the Siamese dialect that Bitsy knows.  Maybe that was what had her looking so shocked. Who knows what Goshiki Koto Hime means in Siamese).

And what exactly is a Goshiki Koto Hime anyway? 

See for yourself!

The small leafed green barked Japanese maple captured Bernie's heart when he saw it at our local Japanese maple carrying garden center.

The leaves will be dark green in summer then yellow orange in fall.

Some additional landscaping elements will be added later; likely some rocks and low mounding conifers.
You wouldn't know it by looking at them, but these two guys are Japanese maple addicts.
They sneak off to the Millcreek garden center and skulk around the Japanese maples whenever they have a few moments to spare.
Phone calls are rapidly made when ever a new Japanese maple shipment arrives.
When they are hard up for a "fix" they even will drop by the Big Box nursery areas just to see what maples might turn up in there.

They both own a guide book to Japanese maple and do their best to speak the Japanese words that have been give to each variety as names.
So far I just know a few English structural terms like coral bark, green bark, weeping, vase shaped and things like that.
I have learned to ask if a particular maple likes sun or shade, and how tall it will get.
I've also learned to ask about the structural shape...will it mound as a weeper, be leggy or more triangular shaped when full grown.

 

I've learned that Japanese maples really glow when planted where the morning and sunset sunlight can best shine through the leaves.
And that the color of the bark can make the tree look fantastic even after the leaves have been shed for winter.
And yes...this species bark actually is closer to turquoise than green right now.

The added fun was learning that this fairly uncommon species is rarely found and sold, and rarely found to be much taller than four feet high.
Even at that  4" height the species sells for a pretty good amount.
Our six footer was acquired for about a fourth of the guide book pricing.
Ahhh...it was a gorgeous tree to begin with, and now it has double our reasons for happiness.
Wonder if that is what its name means?
Double Happiness?
Could be...
If only that cat Bitsy could talk!

Out like a Lion...and a Queasy Breakfast

Sunday was warm...over 70 degrees.
Monday we awoke to lightening and thunder...wind and hail!
Trash bins were blown over all over the neighborhood.

The sound of the hail rattling on my freshly washed windows made it clear this was NOT snow.

 

The wind sounds were impressive as well.

I made a cup of espresso and settled in to watch the storm at its best.
(Our south facing kitchen window beneath a wide over hang rarely gets a direct hit by rain. It was fated to happen today...not only had I washed this window this weekend, my car got washed and our son washed all the windows in his house in preparation for a visitor.  Yeah...of course the weather would throw everything it had at us after all that work!)

The wind was whirling the finch feeder about but one finch was determined to get his breakfast in anyway.

Back and forth and round and round he clung to his perch and plucked out one thistle seed at a time.
I had to get a video of this scene... 

(Warning: I got a little queasy watching this.  It is only 44 seconds though so if the bird can manage to hang on, perhaps so can you!)

The other feeder had its usual breakfast club going full bore despite being pounded by the hail/sleet/snow mixture.

March came in like a lamb...

and looks like  it is going out like a lion.