The Tulip Gardens

On 5th October we went to the nearby tulip gardens with a friend. It was a glorious day and we spent several hours pottering around, taking lots of photos and sitting under the blossom trees enjoying a concert by an Irish folk band.  What better way to while away a beautiful spring afternoon? We enjoyed poffertjes (Dutch pancakes) and coffee while listening to the band. We were amused and pleased to hear an American expat couple at an adjacent table reading "The Man From Snowy River". They too were enjoying a leisurely afternoon. Do you see the bee hovering over my head in the blossoms?

We spent some minutes watching this little girl collecting blossom petals from the trees - it was such a joy to see her 

so happy and absorbed in what she was doing, like watching a fairy at the bottom of the garden :) Her family was picnicking nearby. 

This tulip is a rogue - it must have sown itself right next to the trunk of a blossom tree. Not in

 the garden beds but very pretty nevertheless.

This is one of the many varieties of tulips planted in the gardens. I particularly like the dark tulips. They have interested me since studying a story called "The Black Tulip" while I was at school. We were told the statistics but I am not sure

 of them now. I believe there were something like a million bulbs and a thousand blossom trees. 

It certainly seemed like it even if my memory fails me. The display was magnificent. The gardens are developed more every year. 

Our last visit was a few years ago. 

Somehow spring seems to bring on all sorts of happenings in our family and we don't get there every year. We really must go to Floriade next year - it is even longer since we have been there.

 There never seems to be enough time to do all the things we would like. How can we get more hours in the day do you think? Finally here are some distance shots to give you some idea of the scale of the gardens.

Afterwards we took Elizabeth

 home and Max fed the poddy lambs Elizabeth was babysitting. They were very glad to see us. We were rather late for their 4 o'clock feed because we had enjoyed the gardens so much and then spent some time choosing plants to bring home.

 We chose a beautiful rich red rhododendron called "Gibraltar". That seemed appropriate as the big hill behind Bungendore is called Mount Gibraltar. We also bought some rosemary plants in tubestock while Elizabeth bought some rhododendrons and bulbs. A fitting end to a wonderful day.