Neighborhood Azaleas

Spring is so beautiful in the DC area - especially because of the flowers. First there were the daffodils. And then came the magnolias. The cherry blossoms seem to get the most attention. Then came the tulips in all of their glory. But now is the time for dogwood and azaleas. It seems the flowers quickly come and go - so it’s important to see as much as possible as long as it lasts. Unfortunately we missed the wisteria - although there was plenty of it along the GW Parkway. Yesterday as we were walking in the neighborhood park we came across several azalea bushes. What made them interesting was that they were all together and each color was represented - white and different shapes and sizes of pink, purple. They were in all stages of blooming. They look most beautiful when they take their own shape rather than cutting them to a round ball or trimming them so everything is the same length. My mom had a lovely garden in New England. We loved the birds and the seasons. We had several gardens in the Midwest. Now we have a very small balcony and I haven’t even planted any flowers in the baskets yet. I suppose that’s why I’m enjoying the gardens so much every where we go.  

Tulips at the Capitol

Since we were stuck at home for the last theee weeks due to Covid - for the first time in four years - and the lousy monsoon weather, we finally had a chance to drive in to town yesterday. Since we missed a walk around all of the cherry blossoms at the tidal basin I was hoping to at least have an opportunity to see the tulips. We were at least lucky enough to see the magnolias at the castle before we got sick. This is our favorite time of year to see all of the beautiful flowers and trees that are in full bloom. So we parked in our old neighborhood on Capitol Hill - it was ridiculously packed with buses, cars and tourists. Then we headed over to the Capitol building. And there they were - the red, yellow and orange tulip color scheme - on the walkway leading to the visitor center and all around the two fountains right in front of the east entrance. It’s really difficult to photograph red tulips for whatever reason, but I tried my best and took several, hoping one of them might work for the photo challenge this week. These are the times that I wished we still lived on Capitol Hill. Even though street parking was always a headache we could at least do our morning walks without having to think about it. Every time we go in to town my husband laments that we don’t still live there anymore. Then I remind him of all of the inconveniences. He always forgets about those. 

Smithsonian Castle Garden Magnolias

It feels like a century ago. It was a week or so before we tested positive for Covid for the first time. Spring is such a beautiful time of year here and the magnolias at the Smithsonian Castle are the first to bloom. The display is magnificent. So way back on March 13 we drove in to town for the express purpose of visiting the magnolias. It was a bit cloudy, but that usually makes for better photos. We parked by the Air and Space Museum - that finally has a new front entrance built after what seems like years under renovation. Then we walked over to the gardens and weren’t disappointed even though it seemed like the blooms were more sparse than usual. The tulips were also just starting to show buds and unfortunately we haven’t been able to get back to see the splendor of it all because we didn’t feel well for over two weeks, and now the monsoons have set in and it’s not good travel weather. The cherry blossom festival lasts until this weekend so the crowds are still around until then and then into the summer months. I rather liked having the city or myself over the last four years.  Hopefully we will be able to explore our favorite places soon enough. We do miss our weekly drives in to town - for so many reasons. 

Cherry Blossoms and Magnolias are Coming

Last week we took a morning walk near Constitution Gardens. We parked in our usual spot at the Tidal Basin. This time of year brings an end to the peace and quiet of the winter months when the traffic is less and the pedestrian traffic is even more less. There was an announcement that the cherry blossoms would be in full peak around March 23-26. On our way back to the car we stopped at the Martin Luther King Memorial where there were a lot of school children frolicking about. And when we walked back along the Tdial Basin you could see the hint of what is to come. The almost dead looking cherry trees and branches were beginning to show signs of life. And over at the Smithsonian Castle the magnolias are already showing pink buds that will turn in to a magical fairy land a lot sooner than the cherry blossoms. Wherever there is direct sunlight there are also blossoms already bursting - like in front of the Washington Monument. It is a beautiful time of year and it will the seventeenth year straight that we have witnessed the splendor of it all. Unfortunately with the lovely views comes the hoards of visitors. And that’s something I can do without. 

Neighborhood Azaleas

First it was the daffodils, then the magnolias, then the cherry blossoms, then the tulips, then the dogwood. Now is the time for azaleas. The US Arboretum is full of them, but we didn’t make it out there this year. This week we didn’t even go in to town. The weekly photo challenge is the evening “blue hour” sky so we didn’t have a reason to visit. We also had a lunch date with my brother and SIL. It was great to see human beings again. Yesterday we had appointments for the second Covid bivalent booster. So we spent every morning taking our walk in the neighborhood park. It reminds us a lot of Grant Park in the Midwest next to Lake Michigan. Not only are there azaleas this time of year, but also deer, fox, and a variety of birds including the large red headed woodpeckers. And that is where we saw the beautiful azaleas. There are several in the park, but also in the gardens of the homes near the park. And the azaleas come in so many colors - red, white, salmon, pink, purple- it’s hard to pick out which one is most pleasing. It’s such a lovely time of year here in Virginia. We have already planted our balcony flowers and are hoping they do well this year. So when we can’t or don’t go in to town for a morning walk we alway have a great alternative. 

Balcony Flowers from American Plant

It’s that time of year again. It’s time to fill the balcony window baskets with annual flowers. We have three baskets that are hung from the backs of the chairs that face outward toward the street. They are coco lined and have stayed in fairly good shape for three years. So twice a year we add pansies and violas for winter/Christmas and then again in spring with whatever annual flowers we like. Our last year spikes did not survive the harsh winter so we were in need of finding replacements. The pansies and violas actually did quite well surprisingly, but we needed a few more plants to fill in the blank spaces. So we went to American Plant to see what we could find. The salvia, angelonia and silver dollar were good spike replacements. The bracteantha, gerbera, and dahlia were the flower replacements. Our balcony “garden” is nothing like the many containers, window boxes, and gardens in the Midwest. And even our tiny patio garden on Capitol Hill had a birdbath and significant flowers and bulbs. But my husband likes having a little bit of things and he is the one who keeps the garden watered and cared for. He has a miniature rose that he has nurtured for almost three years. It comes back a few times during the year and is still going. So I got out my gardening gloves and a spoon and scooped out enough dirt so the new flowers could be added after figuring out which space suited each plant the best. It’s not easy to work on a small balcony making sure the dirt doesn’t fly off somewhere and keeping things tidy. But when it’s done it’s always lovely to observe the flowers - especially whenever we sit there and have a chat. It’s hard to believe it’s already spring/summer. The rituals never change.