Tulips

After a volunteer shift yesterday, 5 June 2013, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden on the way home. What a difference from recent days - the sun was actually shining and it felt so good! So much work and effort goes into keeping this place beautiful. Of course, just like anywhere where plants are growing, they go through different stages - leaves wilt and die. Of course, there are always some people who don't know anything about gardening, who would prefer to see a perfectly groomed garden, but wilting leaves have to be left in place for various important reasons. The flowers were bright and colourful and always a joy to see. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taken at the Reader Rock Garden in Calgary, on 5 June 2013. I love these two-coloured Tulips - so vibrant they almost glow. "William Reader, Superintendent of the City of Calgary’s Parks Department from 1913-1943, was a garden innovator. He was responsible for all of Calgary’s parks and cemeteries, the municipal nursery, the first municipal nursery and the first municipal golf course. His personal passion, however, was creating the “rockery” on the steep north slope of Cemetery Hill (just south of the Calgary Stampede Grounds), now known as the Reader Rock Garden. Mr. Reader was also one of the Calgary Horticultural Society’s founders and ensured the Society and the City worked closely together. For example, in 1914, over 10,000 trees were planted through the efforts of the Society and the City planted another 10,000. The Reader Rock Garden was built from 1922-1929. Over the years, the garden had almost disappeared behind overgrown shrubs and weeds when funding became available to restore it. Since 2004, the City of Calgary has restored and replanted the garden, returning it to it's original beauty. A replica of the Reader home has been built and now houses a lovely restaurant." Taken from the Calgary Horticultural Society's website. Truly a wonderful place to explore! Those who look after this colourful garden do so with great care and enthusiasm, and do a tremendous job. If you visit and enjoy your surroundings, do pass on your thanks if you see someone working on the garden! They will appreciate it enormously! Friends of Reader Rock Garden now have a brand new website, which is both interesting and helpful: www.readerrock.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think I have the correct ID for these Tulips, photographed just over a year ago at the Reader Rock Garden, on 8 May 2013. Please confirm or correct me if you happen to be familiar with these flowers - thanks!

I think this is the first garden flower, taken this spring, that I have posted so far. It feels good to have a "new" flower photo to share, instead of digging into my archives for a bright splash of colour. When I called in at the Reader Rock Garden a week ago, on 29 April 2015, there were only a few flowers that were in bloom. These included the Tulips in this photo, a few Hepatica that were already not in the best condition, and several other species. Soon, though, there will be more and more to see as each week goes by. Colour at last!

This photo was taken at the Reader Rock Garden ten days ago, on 6 May 2015, when I called in after a volunteer shift. It felt so good to see a reasonable number of different flower species. Even though we had a wonderfully mild winter, it still felt so good to see vibrant colours once again. I had planned to go on a half-day birding trip this morning. Woke up at 5:00 am (after an hour and a half's sleep), hoping that maybe the forecast had changed. Instead, it's raining and looks most unpleasant out there. I really don't feel like walking in this, and not be able to take any photos, so decided I would post my "daily three" to Flickr and then go back to bed. Hope I don't miss any really special sightings : ( In Canada, this weekend is a long weekend. According to the federal government, May 24 was first declared a holiday by the legislature of the Province of Canada in 1845 to celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday. However, in 1952, Parliament declared that Victoria Day would be celebrated on the Monday before May 24 every year. As a result of this convention, the long weekend sometimes falls well before May 24. This year, for example, May 24 falls on a Sunday, but due to the parliamentary decree, the long weekend will run from May 16 to May 18. The May 24 weekend is thought to be the unofficial start to summer. Many people go away for the long weekend, so the roads will be really packed. After two days of dreary, overcast skies and some rain, and rain again today, it’s too bad the long weekend wasn’t last weekend. Drive carefully if you will be out on the roads! The sun is supposed to shine tomorrow, Sunday : )

This photo was taken at the Reader Rock Garden four days ago, on 13 May 2015, when I called in after a volunteer shift. Quite a few flower species are in bloom now, which is such a joy. Various colours and types of Tulip, which add a most welcome splash of colour to my photostream. I always like to see the two-coloured ones. Blossom trees were full of their tiny flower clusters, though I suspect all the rain we had yesterday will have done some damage. Today, the sun is shining through the clouds, so I really should make myself go out for a short drive later on. This is a long weekend in Canada, celebrating Victoria Day tomorrow.

On 27 May 2015, I had a volunteer shift and afterwards, as the sun was shining, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden, where I found this beautiful orange Tulip. There was rain in the forecast so I thought I'd better make the most of the blue sky while I could. Alberta is bone dry everywhere, with wildfires especially further north. So, much as I really dislike the rain, we desperately need it. From the Garden, I drove through the adjoining Union Cemetery and then another nearby cemetery, and then called in at a wetland in SW Calgary. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip

A couple of days ago, on 27 April 2016, I had a volunteer shift and afterwards, as the sun was peeping through the clouds, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden. There was a reasonable number of plants in bloom, including a small cluster of these attractive Tulips. I wasn't sure if I was going to be too early or too late for Tulips, especially as this year has so far been most unusual, weatherwise. There was also a bush of gorgeous pink Hellebore flowers, hanging their heads as they tend to do. There was enough colour and variety of plants to make this visit worthwhile - and it should only get better and better with the coming weeks. So good to see colour! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip