Friday, May 4, 2018

Pushing Up Through The Soil

On the first real warm weekend in the latter part of April, I went down to Dow's Lake, where many of the tulip beds are to be found here in Commissioners Park. You can see the lake in the background of this first shot. A circular bed is here, and the tulips were starting to poke out of the soil. A little warmth can work wonders. I was up on Parliament Hill a couple of days ago, and the tulips in the beds there have progressed quite well in the days since I took these shots.


I walked on, photographing other beds where the tulips were asserting themselves.


My last shots of this visit were taken by this statue. The Man With Two Hats is a tribute to the Canadians who liberated the Netherlands in the Second World War. Artist Henk Visch created this and a matching sculpture, which stands in Apeldoorn. Both statues were unveiled by Princess Margriet (who was born here in Ottawa during that period). This year's Tulip Festival kicks off in a few days, so expect lots of tulip colours here in the not so distant future.

38 comments:

  1. It would be fun to watch the tulips begin their annual development from sprouts to their ultimate gloriousness!

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  2. Seeing the green shoots of spring must be a pleasure filled with anticipation. I remember my husband visiting Toronto when we were in full spring swing here, and he was surprised that nothing was growing. He asked my brother, who lives in Canada, where are the spring flowers. My brother banged the hard soil with his foot and said the soil is still frozen. I think that when spring happens for you it happens with great exhuberance.

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  3. They certainly are coming up now soon!

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  4. It won't be long now, for the tulips!

    Janis
    GDP

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  5. ...keep pushing, I'm coming!

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  6. I love how you ended this piece!

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  7. @Lowell: and they're coming along nicely since I took these.

    @Rosemary: the flowers take a good deal longer to show here.

    @Gattina: it was a long winter!

    @Marianne: finally! The first colours should be showing shortly.

    @Francisco: thanks!

    @Janis: I'll be busy photographing them.

    @Tom: you're going to enjoy seeing them!

    @Marie: thank you!

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  8. What a super idea to capture the many thousands of tulip bulbs before they pop up entirely William.. looking forward to seeing this year's display.

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  9. i wonder why the 2 hats? which to pick? too many options??! why i love spring ... all the new growth. it will be fun to see what grows. ( ;

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  10. That sprout popping isone of my favorite things about spring -- so many possibilities!

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  11. I just love to watch the Tulips as they poke up out of the ground knowing that in the near future the area will be full of beautiful color. Our Tulip Festival festival is over----all the beautiful flowers beheaded and the foliage left to feed the bulbs underground. Apeldoorn is the name of one of the beautiful varieties.
    MB

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  12. You're right. Plants do develop rapidly once they get started.

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  13. The flower beds look promising!

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  14. @Grace: I'll have plenty of photography to get done.

    @Beth: two hats for two countries.

    @Jeanie: we had such a long winter, and spring is now establishing itself.

    @MB: I've seen that variety here as well.

    @Red: just a little warmth really brings them out.

    @Marleen: yes, and hopefully they're out and about as the first weekend of the festival gets underway.

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  15. This song popped in my head when I looked at your photos:
    Hey buds below, up is where to grow
    Up with which below can't compare with.
    Hurry, it's lovely up here ,
    Life down a hole takes an awful toll,
    What with not a soul there to share with
    Hurry, it's lovely up here!

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  16. They are coming in thousands again ... it will beautiful overthere very soon.

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  17. They are coming and there is excitement in the air!

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  18. They are coming up rapidly, in a week or two?

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  19. It's lovely to see tulips coming out of the ground! Spring is in the air :-)

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  20. Lovely 'budding' photos! Spring!

    Happy Weekend to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  21. The cherry blossom festivals supposed to start here today in High Park but the buds are a bit behind schedule as are all of the tulips here. I haven't seen any in bloom yet.

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  22. @Sharon: good one!

    @Jan: it shouldn't take long.

    @Bill: I'm looking forward to seeing them.

    @Karl: less, for the first colours, but they should stretch out fairly well over the length of the festival.

    @Tamago: and it's about time!

    @Carol: thanks!

    @RedPat: some years the tulips would already be out in force right now.

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  23. Same thing happening here in the GTA with the tulips.

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  24. I love tulips! That will be so pretty when they are all in bloom!

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  25. My late grandmother loved tulips; they always bring sweet memories of her.
    Have a nice weekend.

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  26. Amazing to think how fast those little plants will grow.

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  27. Love seeing the beginning shoots of the tulips! I'll bet they'll be spectacular once they start blooming!

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  28. I call all these green shoots "noses." And you have a lot of noses coming up!

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  29. Life explodes from the earth! I love that statue. Nice photos William.

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  30. The triumph of the tulips! ;-)

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  31. I like the man with two hats!

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  32. It's gonna be beautiful flower carpet.

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  33. I love this man!
    Our tulips are about to pop, the ones near the house! My fingers are crossed.

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  34. So nice to see the tulips, well in fact any flower, budding ...
    I do like that sculpture.

    All the best Jan

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  35. Tulips are survivors, aren't they?

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  36. @Andy: and this year they're a bit late too.

    @Jenn: they're a wonder to see in person.

    @Anonymous: I enjoy seeing them each year.

    @Jen: a little warmth goes a long way.

    @Chieftess: that they are.

    @Kay: and more so this year.

    @Pat: thank you.

    @Sandi: indeed.

    @Linda: I do too.

    @Klara: it will be.

    @Jennifer: hopefully this year is good for them.

    @Jan: thank you.

    @Norma: they are!

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