These sweet and strange fritillaria bulbs have been coming up in my garden like champs. The checkered patterns on the sides are so extraordinary that when I first saw a drawing of them, I thought it was a joke. Now that I can grow them in my garden, I love the tops like paper lanterns and their lovely, nodding stems. So shy, so strange.

Frittilaria (checkered tulips) nod their heads, in a rainy flowerbed

Participating in My Romantic Home, Outdoor Wednesday, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Thursday Challenge (Spring), Pink Saturday and Macro Monday. Glad you stopped by!

Daphne odora marginata is a fabulous, mostly evergreen shrub that grows very well in the Pacific Northwest. It likes acid soil and not too much sun. I’ve always had good luck with them and adore them for their intense fragrance and also for the cheerful start to the spring blooming season they provide. One little bouquet of these tiny flowers will scent up the house.

Daphne odora marginata blooms on a sunny windowsill in late March

Linking in My Romantic Home, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Scenic Weekends, Pink Saturday, Thursday Challenge (Spring), and Macro Monday. Have a great weekend, and hope you get some sun and fragrance in it. Thanks for dropping by here.

This clump of old-fashioned variegated (green and white leaves) hosta grows in a very protected area at my front door and is up early, almost fully leafed out. When I was a tiny tot in Philadelphia in the fifties, I remember these grew at our house. Plant nostalgia!

Variegated hosta leaves almost fully leafed out.

Linking in My Romantic Home, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Thursday Challenge (Spring), and Macro Monday. Thank you so much for stopping by here. Come back soon!

The sun was out! Our five-graft plum tree in the back is popping into bloom! This is its second year so we might get a plum or two. I love the idea of five different plums on one dwarf tree. Jars of jam, here I come!

Young plum tree opens white blossoms in the sunshine

Participating this week in My Romantic Home, Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Thursday Challenge (Spring), and Macro Monday. Thank you so much for stopping by here, and hope it’s Spring where you live. 

Saw these incredible trees today in Georgetown near the Seattle Design Center. That neighborhood has the most magnificent old cherry trees! If you are a fan of streets lined with masses of pink, head on down there. For your oooh-ing pleasure! I love this image and I’m calling it my Best Post of the Week.

Linking in Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, and Pink Saturday. Maybe try a new tag or a search, just for fun. You never know what you might turn up.

Took this photo of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle in early spring just on Friday in Belltown. Don’t the clouds look pretty? We do clouds well here, or at least have lots of them. Usually all seamless gray, unfortunately. This kind is so much nicer, especially when there’s a bit of blue, too.

Seattle’s iconic Space Needle, seen from Belltown, against a cloudy sky

Participating with this post at Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Scenic Weekends, and Outdoor Wednesday. Thanks so much for visiting! If there’s only one photo here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to see the rest of the blog’s recent posts.

In Belltown (a trendy neighborhood in Seattle) on Friday, lots of cherry trees, some with these burgundy colored leaves, were blooming. Here’s a pretty photo with the heavenly blue sky showing in the background.

Ornamental cherry blossoms at the peak of their bloom.

Event note: I’ll be at Trevino Skin Care in Seattle on Thursday, March 28, 5:30-8:30pm, with sparkly jewelry, Flowers books and spectacular matted photos, too. It’s a Treat Yourself Soiree! Facebook page is HERE.

Check out Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Macro Monday, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday and Ruby Tuesday 2. Thanks for visiting and do click on the Sara’s Fave Photos above to see all the other photos here.

Finally, a current photo, hot off the memory card. I was lucky enough to be in Belltown yesterday, an area of Seattle I don’t usually get to walk around. And it was sunny!

Trees, other buildings and sky reflected in a glass building in Seattle

Linking up at Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Scenic Weekends, Outdoor Wednesday and Weekend Reflections. If there’s only one photo here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos above. Thanks for visiting!

The weather has been so cold, gray and rainy, but there have been “sunbreaks.” This was taken during one of them at this time last year. You are looking south on First Avenue in Burien, not so far from me, south of Seattle. Puffy clouds and pink trees make a landscape for me, any time.

Spring scene with cherry trees and clouds in Burien, Washington.

Participating at Skywatch Friday, A Piece of Heaven, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, Scenic Weekends, Monday Mellow Yellows, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday and Ruby Tuesday 2. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos above if there’s only one photo here, and you might try a new tag in the tag cloud to the right—maybe scroll down a bit. Thanks for visiting!

The red tips of the bushes are just beginning to peek through the soil outside, but those red tips will become flower heaven, come June. Here are some perfect pink peonies for your pleasure. Breathe deep, now!

Ruffled, soft pink, romantic peonies from my garden in June

I’m entering this link at Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, My Romantic Home, Macro Monday, Scenic Weekends, Monday Mellow Yellows, Outdoor Wednesday, and Pink Saturday. Thanks so much for visiting here. Be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos above if there’s only one photo to be seen.

I’m still enjoying the flower photos I took at the NW Flower & Garden show in Seattle last month. Soon I’ll get outside and show what’s starting out there as spring slowly arrives. But these deep purple anemones, paired with pansies, are so perfect and lovely that I just can’t resist.

Purple anemone just coming into bloom

Linking up at Catching the Light Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers and Macro Monday. Thanks for visiting here, and don’t forget click on Sara’s Fave Photos above if there is only the one photo showing.

Here’s a bouquet that you just don’t see very often: a giant star. It was another of those florist competitors in the NWFGS in Seattle last month. You shudda seen it!

Dark red roses, hydrangea and chartreuse mums and more make up this gigantic star bouquet

Linking up at Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, NF Blo-Ma Tuesday, Today’s Flowers, and Ruby Tuesday 2. Thanks for visiting here. Be sure to click on Sara’s Fave Photos above if there’s only one photo here. The others will be revealed!.