Smelling like grape soda, these irises in a friend’s garden were a spring delight. The dark purple color of the lower petals is the finest velvet.

Colorful iris flowers in a spring garden

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Yesterday Seattle had just incredibly gorgeous weather: delightfully warm, sunny, and calm. Did I mention warm and sunny? It has been so very cold and gray this year, so I treasure these rare bursts of heaven. The irises are gearing up.

My garden and part of my neighbor’s. Bluebells and forget-me-nots, plus irises to come.

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I got to visit Seattle’s beloved Volunteer Park Conservatory again after a very long absence. It was as thrilling as ever. This palm leaf overhead was at least five feet wide!

Giant leaf of a palm at the Volunteer Park Conservatory in the Palm House

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Simple flowers can be the best.

Bright, school-bus-yellow calendula in my garden, joyful in early spring

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A friend has a good hellebore collection in her charming garden. Even with the cold weather, they bloom so prettily in late winter and early spring.

Nodding hellebore blooms with purple veining and edges in a PNW sun break

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Also called Japanese andromeda, pieris is a stellar shrub that thrives in the Pacific Northwest. And they are fragrant! Little bells of wonderfulness.

Pink pieris, backlit in the late winter sun

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The weather may still be wintry here in Seattle this year, but those daffodils never cease to thrill.

Sun and warmth are promised!

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This is what’s commonly called a Christmas cactus, but it’s really a Thanksgiving cactus, or schlumbergera truncata, not a regular cactus. This year, this one is acting more like a Valentine’s Day cactus! When growing them, treat them more like a regular houseplant and don’t let them get super dry, before you soak the soil.

Such showy, iridescent, magenta and white flowers, on this Thanksgiving cactus in bloom.

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Such a cute fish hook little cactus! Be careful, though. The white fluffy stuff is a kind of sunscreen and protects the cactus from wind and water evaporation, too.

Little pink flowers with yellow centers decorate this small fish hook cactus. Careful!

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He brought me roses. So very sweet, every single time.

Red, red roses

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Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m all for love and chocolate, and kisses.

Candy, love and chocolate. What’s not to like?

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A new kind of decor bulb for me, an amaryllis in a wax jacket, all ready to go. No planting, no watering, all inside the bulb! How magical is that? We chose a large bulb and were rewarded with two flower stems.

White amaryllis flowers bloom from a waxed bulb

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