Highline Seatac Garden

 I got to visit these gardens last January, while they had snow on the ground in Seattle.   Then saw them again the following June.   And what a contrast.   And it's been awhile since I've been back, but wanted to share some of the incredible beauty you can find there.   At least if you like wandering through beautifully maintained gardens.  

And you don't need to scroll to the end to find out just where these magical gardens are.  

Just a few very short miles from Seatac Airport in Seattle, Washington.   The Highline Seatac Botanical Gardens.  You can read more about them here.    

These pictures were taken on separate visits in the past.   I think you can probably tell that they were also taken at separate times of the year as well. 

Japanese Garden Winter and Summer.  Spectacular in both seasons.

Rose Garden, many weddings are held here and the roses smell so delightful.

Rose Garden in Winter

Iris

Rose Garden Arbor

Rose

Azalea

Peony (manipulated a little)

Multi colored Rose

Bamboo

Iris and Lilies

These are just a few of the many pictures I took, but honestly, if you're in the area, Seatac Airport in Washington State, you need to take an afternoon and check out the Highline Seatac Botanical Gardens.   

A little bit of magic (and an easy stroll), just a couple miles from a busy airport.   Well worth a stop in. 

Spiderwort's

It's been way too long since I've posted any pictures here. 
I wanted to share a few pictures of the Spiderworts I've been taking over the past little while. 
After the rain...

 I wish I could paint with the vivid colors that Gaia does. 

The rest of the Desert Flowers

You could see some of the blooming desert along the roadways, the flowers muting into the background foliage. 

 There were yellow ones...

 This was taken at the Visitor Center at one of the parks...

 Even a cactus that was a yellow caught my eye.   Of course I kinda wonder about that sprinkler head beside it.  

 I know it's a weed, but the flower is so bright and cheerful...

 Even the lichen in the rocks was a brilliant yellow.  

 and purple flowers.   I think these belong to the Statice family.  But I could be wrong.   And I misplaced my cheat sheet with all the flower names on it. 

 and even a pink one. 

  white ones...

 I believe these are Datura, which are poisonous, but safely viewed through a camera lens...

 Mounds of white flowers, and I have no idea what they are, but they were gorgeous.

 Also spotted this one blooming at Zions' park.  

as well as the orange, blue and shocking pink cactus flowers I told you about before.   

Pink Cactus

The dichotomy of a flowering cactus has always fascinated me.

 The contrast between this sturdy, prickly inhospitable plant and the delicacy of the flowers.   

I was lucky enough to see some blooming cacti this spring during a brief stop in the desert.  So of course I took some pictures and I want to share them here.  These are called Strawberry Hedgehog.   And before I get to the pictures I took, here is a picture of the description from the Nature Center Display.

I think I could have spent the day, stopping the car each time I spotted one of these blooming off to the side.

The blooms already done,  and the remains left behind

 . 

The luster of the petals with a slight, slight dusting of pollen left behind by a wandering bee.

The contrast of the bright flowers to the surrounding soil, no other greenery or color in sight.

And close up the vividness of the pink and the tracery of darker pink on the petals.

In a weird sort of way, they blend in rather than contrast too starkly to the surrounding area.

Some blossoms done, and others ready to unfurl and show themselves.

The luster...

I am so glad I was finally able to see these cacti blooming.  It's been a wish of mine for many years to visit when the desert blooms and this year I was able to see it.    I hope to do it again, but if not, I have the pictures to enjoy for years to come.