Two Locales

Tulips were starting to show in the flower beds on Parliament Hill. These shots were all taken on the weekend before last.

They were also starting to show in some of the tulip beds at Major's Hill Park, where the National Gallery, Parliament Hill, the U.S. Embassy, and the Chateau Laurier are in the background of these shots. I was here in the park again on Sunday, and there was a big difference.

On The Path

More from Commissioners Park today, with the end of my first stroll through here. I will be back here again with more tulips, but we're going to other locations first.

Colour Mixes

I liked the way these trees looked along the pathway at Commissioners Park.

And more of these tulips were blooming during this walk.

Ties That Bind

In Commissioners Park, there is a raised tulip bed in a circle. When I passed by on my evening stroll, the plants were still green. A close look might note two shades of green in the bed, so there are two types of tulips here. The bed will look quite different when I next feature it.

Along one side of the circle are a series of display boards about the Second World War, the liberation of the Netherlands by Canadian troops, the ties between both countries, and the origins of the Tulip Festival. I've photographed the entire series before, but wanted to photograph some this time, which include the fact that Crown Princess Juliana and her daughters stayed here in Ottawa during the War, and her daughter Princess Margriet was born here. The baby was christened at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church downtown; the photographs on the last of these panels were both taken by the portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh.

Further along the pathway is a large statue overlooking the lake. It is called The Man With Two Hats, by the artist Hank Visch. It is one of two identical statues, the other standing in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. This one has been here since 2002 and was unveiled by Princess Margriet. Both statues symbolize the close bonds between Canada and the Netherlands.

The Paparazzi

Continuing where I left off in yesterday's post, I always like to catch others photographing tulips. These are still the early colours we're looking at- some of the beds on this evening stroll were still green.

Colour Flourish

There was an article in one of our newspapers about a tulip I'll be looking for amid the tulip beds. Canada 150 is a new type of tulip developed in collaboration with Dutch tulip growers. It's a white and red flower meant to mark the upcoming 150th anniversary of the country, and for those of us in Canada, the bulbs will be available for planting in the fall, so that they'll be blooming for the anniversary year.

Here are more tulip shots, taken early this past Saturday evening down at Dow's Lake, with the last shot being from a nearby patch of daffodils.

The First Tulips

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that after a long winter, Canadians shall be in want of seeing flower beds." ~ Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice & Polar Vortexes

It is time to get things started with the Canadian Tulip Festival, which kicks off officially tomorrow here in Ottawa and Gatineau. The festival has its origins in the aftermath of the Second World War, with gifts of tulips from the Netherlands and the Dutch royal family as thanks for liberation. In the 1950s, a formal festival was organized by landscape photographer Malak Karsh, among others. Each year, a million bulbs are planted at various locations throughout the capital.

This is the flower bed in Commissioners Park that I showed you for the theme day.

Another bed of tulips further on in the park is less densely planted. I photographed these two tulips, and noticed afterwards that there was a third tulip, its petals gone. No doubt thanks to a devious squirrel; they tend to have habits of doing that.

The rest of these shots are from Little Italy, including this bed along the street.

Aside from the many public locations, many people plant tulips in their gardens. These were in a front garden.

And this bed of tulips is from another day, outside an office building.

Daffs And Ducks

Daffodils can be found around Dow's Lake while the tulips are blooming.

With the lake in such close proximity, ducks are often here as well. This pair were walking around, and can be seen in the background of the shot that follows this one. Tomorrow we start with the tulips.

A Peaceful Place

I was over in Commissioners Park by Dow's Lake some days ago to photograph tulips- most of which weren't showing, though you can see the beds in the backgrounds of these shots.

There is a memorial set aside, with trees that were planted here after the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985. Most of the passengers were Canadian citizens of Indian descent- the tragedy was the worst mass murder in Canadian history and the worst airline related terrorism incident before the events of 9/11. The names of the 329 passengers and crew are inscribed on a plaque here in the park.

Something more uplifting- this tree was blossoming in front of a house in Centretown last week. Anyone know it by the blossoms? They're very rare here.