9 posts tagged “gardens”
These are the beautiful red and white azalea bushes outside my building at My U.
Again, our colors are red and white... and blue, I think, but blue makes for hard flower choices. In any case, these are awfully pretty in all their late spring glory.
And in case you think our academic gardeners can't step out of the red-and-white box, given roses and azalea photos...
Right across the walkway. Very pretty.
Pearl
Right now at My U, the roses are out. Oddly, these bushes are relatively new, not old as they look. The location is the center of the campus, flanking the flagpole.
These are conventional rose bushes, all red
Across the aisle are matching rose bushes, these for same-color wild roses.
Our school colors are red and white.
Roses are one of my favorite flowers--of which there are many, could you guess?--and I was surprised to come across these last week. Which suggests either I never get out of my office/school building (could be) or like most of the plantings on campus, these bushes were inserted into the ground well-grown, not as seedlings but as mature bushes. Or both.
It was really wonderful to see them, although my quibble would be seating nearby to enjoy the sight and smell of them. After all, that's the point of a garden.
Pearl
A quick series of photos near my apartment this week. Dressed in the colors of the season.
Makes the walk or drive to work more enjoyable.
Pearl
Spring is the prettiest month in DFW, before the blight of true summer sets in (100+ degrees, blazing heat, pollution). The flowers are blooming, the trees are blooming, and as long as one is allergy-free (like me, thankfully), this is a pretty, pretty season.
It is also the season in which our highways blossom: thanks to Ladybird Johnson, mowing on the highways is verbotten, which means that a variety of wildflowers flourish. Blues, red, yellows, and pinks dot the landscape--again, until the true heat of Texas summer razes everything into brown straw.
This azalea bush is right outside my apartment door in the courtyard. It is on the verge of blooming fully.
Redbuds and other trees are out now throughout my area, in all shades of pink and violet.
This tree is just across my driveway. It is a softer pink, as you can see, and has a lacy, gentle silhouette.
The tulips are blooming, too, all over campus. Right now I have a vase full of daffodils, the happiest flower of spring, on my sidetable.
Of course, you can see that the day itself was gray. Not quite rainy, but not quite clear, either.
Pearl
I love these long, shaded alleys in Paris parks. The older parks, like the Tuileries and Palais Royal, have these lovely trees in perfect rows. Makes for a delightful walk.
Pearl
Just a pretty picture.
Pearl
I realized that the last couple of entries have no photos, so for those of you who need pictures (God knows, I do!) here are some from the recent past and present.
The monumental size of Tolbiac, in Paris.
The back garden of the BnF at Richelieu.
A curious butterfly from the gardens in Oxford.
No need to say more.
A morning stroll.
Current screensaver.
Chocolate delights.
One view from Tolbiac's deck.
My tiny studio.
Back home.
Pearl
Another experiment with my little watercolor box, not so successful.
Here is the original photo, again from Oxford's Botanical Gardens.
I am still figuring out backgrounds... obviously. The blue flowers aren't great, but I figured out how to make them happen in a way I liked, not petal by petal. The colors aren't bright enough, but again, more experiments in mixing colors for this one.
Pearl
I have been stuck in the studio waiting on a FedEx package for the last two days... I am getting a little snappy.
Good news: being stuck here makes for lots of writing (vs. archive) time. With several deadlines pending, I am happy about that.
Bad news: nothing to post about Paris.
As a result, I will simply post some pictures I took during my last week in Oxford, at the Botanical Gardens of Magdalen College. As seems to be my usual practice, I went on a rainy day, but the gardens are spectacular nonetheless. South of High Street and just west of Magdalen Bridge, the roses are visible from the street--and quite beautiful. Seeing the roses is free, and great is you only have a little bit of time (30 minutes or less). But if you have an hour or two and are just knackered from walking, tourist-babble, and hard, gray pavements, pass through the kiosk-shop of the Botanical Gardens, pay the tiny fee, and step into the rear gardens. They run along the Isis (Thames) and lead far back from the busy street. It is quiet and peaceful here, apart from the hard-working garden staff. At the end of July, everything was in full bloom, and I think my pictures turned out pretty well.
You can see that this garden is beautifully cared for. Not here are the greenhouses that include carnivorous plants (all very spiky and eerie) and plants that need some protection from the British mid-lands climate. There are also ponds and fountains with their own water-plants, there are trees and lawns, and everywhere there are benches to sit and simply enjoy the gorgeous view.
But there's more! If you visit the link below for the garden, you can find times/days of opening, the history of the garden, and much more information. If you are interested in seeing the rest of my pictures, visit my Flickr page. Visit and enjoy!
Pearl
