Monday, May 14, 2018

The First Tulips

Today begins an extended series on our Tulip Festival. Get used to floral colours for a good long while. 

My first shot was taken in Little Italy, passing by a house. I noticed the driftwood and the tulips in its shade. This was taken on the first Sunday of the month, as I was on my way down to Dow's Lake, which is nearby, to check on the tulip beds there.


Dow's Lake, which is part of the Rideau Canal, features Commissioners Park on its east and north sides, and is one of the main sites for the festival. On this morning, some of the tulips were starting to show up ahead of others. Many of the tulips and accompanying flowers are marked with their types at some spot in the beds.


Aside from the tulips, there are also daffodils here that tend to grow in the grass near the flowerbeds and bloom around the same time.


This one bright red tulip was showing much earlier than its neighbours.


It is fairly common for accompanying flowers to be planted around the tulips in the fall, such as the case with these hyacinths.


I focused in on the early blooms of a couple of the nearby beds.


Around one of the beds here in the park, several panels can be found about the history of the Tulip Festival and its origins in the Second World War. I'll be showing you two or three a day over the coming posts.

34 comments:

  1. It's amazing to think that in less than a week, if the sun shines, these little new tulips will be twice the size. Love the hyacinths, so pretty 🌷🌷

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  2. That first shot with the tulips popping up from beneath the driftwood is what caught my attention. And soon tulips will inundate Ottawa covering it with color!

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  3. ...spring has finally sprung!

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  4. THANK you for sharing these beautiful flowers! Tulips always remind me of my grandmother. Wishing you a nice week.

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  5. @Grace: just a few days makes a difference. I came back last week Wednesday and took more shots.

    @Lowell: I'm taking a whole lot of shots over the next few days!

    @Tom: it has indeed.

    @Francisco: they are!

    @Mildred: thank you!

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  6. Lovely! Our tulips are just finishing up. They are beautiful flowers, aren't they? :-)

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  7. I adore each of these beautiful flowers!

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  8. Great to see spring has arrived finally.
    Our tulips are long gone ... ;-)

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  9. The tulips are just really starting to bloom here. Probably today with the warm weather they will all pop open!

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  10. Spring has sprung! The fiddler on GDP is Canadian, by the way. Erynn Marshall

    Janis
    GDP

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  11. Hello, lovely flowers and photos. Yay for Spring. Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!

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  12. I look forward to your tulip tour. It is very colorful.

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  13. Lovely signs of Spring and great macro floral shots ~ Divine color!

    Wishing you a happy week ~
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  14. @DJan: they're glorious.

    @Janey: I do too.

    @Jan: they're out in full bloom now and in the coming days, which is good for the visitors.

    @RedPat: warmth helps them, to a point. Too hot and they come to an end.

    @Janis: I'll have a look at your page, hopefully today. I was largely offline over the weekend, and it's going to take a bit of time to catch up, but I've got a system that helps me get caught up.

    @Eileen: thank you!

    @Red: I love showing it.

    @Carol: very divine colours!

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  15. I'm in the mood for tulips so fire away!

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  16. The first tulips are the most welcome, aren't they?

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  17. I wish tulips would hold their shape for longer. They are beautiful flowers and I look forward to seeing more of the displays.

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  18. I love that first shot with the driftwood. Tulip time is here once again, fantastic.

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  19. wow, so pretty, i know so many are happy that spring has arrived. severe thunderstorm alert around here. we will see. i know we need rain ... but not the severe stuff. take care. ( ;

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  20. Tulips are my favorite! Totally wish we had a tulip festival here. :)

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  21. @Sharon: much more to come!

    @Karl: they are the reward for a long winter.

    @Cloudia: that they are.

    @Lady Fi: they are indeed.

    @Fun60: they're short lived but a delight to see.

    @Marleen: they certainly are.

    @Bill: lots of tulips to come. I've taken more shots just a little while ago.

    @Beth: we have clear skies here today.

    @Sandi: it is quite a legacy for us.

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  22. The tulip festival!!! More than 250 thousand tulips, I read somewhere.

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  23. I think you know how I love your tulips.

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  24. It's good to see your tulips coming into bloom again.

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  25. I've been looking forward to your tulip festival. Lovely pix and can't wait for more!

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  26. Gorgeous flowers and photos William.
    Out here in California, we rarely see Tulips. Where I'm from (Kentucky), they are so popular. Just like where you live, spring time means tulips everywhere.

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  27. @Catarina: in fact close to a million.

    @Catalyst: and I love showing them.

    @Klara: so do I!

    @Kay: it is indeed.

    @Jeanie: thank you!

    @Pat: they seem to need winter to thrive.

    @Norma: and back in a big way!

    @Jennifer: and quite a season!

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