Azaleas in bloom in the Washington Park Arboretum
Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum began its transition to spring way back in January. It has been a long and lovely seasonal journey, but like any great fireworks show, there is a Grand Finale that provides an amazing end to the season, and that time is now. The azaleas along Azalea Way were absolutely stunning when I visited on May 6, with intense colors sprayed together in ways not otherwise found in nature.
The oak trees were also leafing out, with the Golden Oak, a garden variety of the English Oak, an unexpected highlight. When the oaks are entirely leafed out, I consider it the end of spring. So the end is near.
View to Azalea Way from the Golden Oak
Finally, the wisteria were in bloom around the Graham Visitors Center. With their vivid color and intense scents, they are always a fine show. But what caught my eye on this visit was how the shadows played on the rafters of the pergola–looking almost like ancient calligraphy.
Wisteria shadows speak an ancient language
Azaleas are a type of rhododendron
An impressionistic view of the azalea garden
Girly colors look wonderful in the garden
Wisteria blooming on the pergola
Walkway next to the Graham Visitors Center
Vivid color combinations, even in a single blossom
Bright colors of almost any shade
Azalea buds starting to open
Dogwood flowering against an achingly blue sky
Golden Oak, Quercus robur ‘Concordia,’ a variety of English Oak
Up close and personal
Oak leaves in a growth spurt
Emphatically defining the word ‘vivid’
A sophisticated shade of orange
Courtyard adjacent to the Graham Visitors Center
A garden is a great excuse to toss together a panoply of color
Painting with petals
For more information about Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum, go to: http://depts.washington.edu/wpa/index.htm. For my two previous 2010 posts about the arboretum, go to SEATTLE’S ARBORETUM: Pretty in Pink and Spring in Seattle.
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