SERENDIPITOUS SPRING and salmon

I love to photograph flowers.

In a workshop we took with the amazing photographer/writer Colleen Miniuk, I learned that before I capture the image, I should title it. Yup. Before I even push the button.

That has stuck with me.

We camped recently in Mount Vernon, Washington. When we made our reservation, the campground owner made mention of the fact that since we’d be there “after the big crowds,” he had space for us.

Imagine our thrill when we learned upon checking in, that the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival was ongoing! The busiest time was the weekend just before we arrived but there were still fields and fields of tulips to enjoy (and far smaller crowds).

After we settled in, we grabbed our cameras and took off in the truck to take in tons of terrific tulips. It was totally astonishing!

Roozengaarde features a five acre display garden planted with over a half million bulbs, a 25 acre tulip field and 20 acre daffodil field. Tulip Town has another half million bulbs planted. The entire event goes on for the entire month of April (but sometimes the tulips are a bit early or late). The festival includes dozens and dozens of coordinated events in the region, everything from parades to fun runs, art shows to salmon barbecue dinners, and classes of all kinds.

We enjoyed a scrumptious salmon dinner sponsored by the local Kiwanis Club; it’s their biggest fundraiser of the year. It was a great way to meet and support the locals.

Back to the tulips. Here are a few of my favorites.

Whisper

Shadow Play
Lean on Me
A River Runs Through It
Parrot Song

Roozengaarde was founded when William Roozen emigrated from Holland in 1947. The family began raising tulips in Holland in the mid-1700’s and has continued through at least six generations. It is now the largest tulip-bulb grower in the country and farms 2000 acres!

Fancy Fence

Here is a gallery of the rest of my favorites — hope you enjoy them! Click on any picture to view them all as a slide show.

8 thoughts on “SERENDIPITOUS SPRING and salmon”

  1. Absolutely breathtaking! Gorgeous photography! All I could think of was how I will miss touring the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller garden with you this summer!

    1. I’ll miss it, too — we will be in town for a bit — is there already a date planned? XO

  2. Kathe, I’m every color in the rainbow 🌈 with envy! WOW, you hit the jackpot! I also love photographing flowers, and even the ones I took at Giverny last week don’t compare to these! Thanks so much for sharing your marvelous adventures! Where to next?

  3. Wow! What beautiful photos of beautiful tulips. What amazing gardens. No deer munching- how nice.

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