Springtime in Reynolda Gardens

The very first year I started this blog in 2011, I visited Reynolda Gardens in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to take some pictures.  I thought it might make an interesting post.  It was still late winter then, and I told myself I'd be returning in a few weeks, or a month, to take more pictures when things were fully in bloom.  Three years later, I finally did that very thing.

Photo from 2011 post

It was beautiful in the gardens yesterday, and there were a good many people there.  I went on a weekday three years ago, and I pretty much had the place to myself.  In addition to it being a Saturday, yesterday they were having a plant sale from the greenhouse on the grounds of Reynolda House, and they were hosting the monthly Cars and Coffee, for owners of classic cars and sports cars of all varieties, in the parking lot of Reynolda Village.  It was a gorgeous day for all these events.

DH took these pictures earlier in the day when he attended the "Cars and Coffee" event.

Guess whose car?  :)

I took a lot of pictures yesterday (too many for one post) because everything was so pretty.  I'll end up doing two posts on this outing, so here are some pictures for today.

 Reynolda Gardens was once part of the estate of the R. J. Reynolds family; it's now a 129-acre center for recreation for the North Carolina Piedmont and is owned by Wake Forest University.

Reynolda House

This time of year, the Eastern Redbud, Flowering Cherries, and Dogwood trees are the stars of the show.  You can see them blooming all along the roadside, as well as in lawns and public gardens.  I never tire of seeing them, and they're a welcome sight after our long winter this year.

I always thought it odd that these trees are called Redbuds, when they're actually more of a purplish pink color.  They're also known as Judas trees, and like the Dogwoods, they're usually blooming in our area during the Easter season.  I took the above picture while standing inside the pavilion below.

Some views of the Japanese cherry trees.

I was pleased with the way my photos turned out yesterday -- haven't done any outdoor photography in a while.

Only a few blooms were left on the Tulip Magnolias...

...and the Weeping Cherry trees.

Reynolda Gardens and the surrounding grounds of Reynolda House are full of daffodils in the spring; it really is a sight to behold.  Unfortunately, I got there too early last time, and a little late this year.  There were still daffodils blooming, but many of them were past their prime.  Maybe I'll hit it just right next year.  Some of the other flowers blooming yesterday were --

Pansies and Periwinkle...



All these flowers were in full sun, and it was really bright.  I edited them as best I could, but parts of the photos got blasted out by the intense sunlight.

I love these little white flowers; they're called "Mock Orange" and they do look a lot like Orange Blossoms.

Candy Tuft

I used a softening effect in Picasa edit to cut down on the harsh glare of the white flowers in this picture.  It's tough to shoot pictures directly into the sunlight.

More daffodils.

I saved these beauties for last -- Bleeding Heart.  Aren't they gorgeous?!

It's easy to see how they got their name.

I'll share more of these gardens in an upcoming post.  Before I sign off, guess who got to go with us yesterday?

The gold in his coat really stands out in the sunlight.  :)

What have you been doing this weekend?  I sincerely hope that the weather is beautiful where you are; it's been such a long winter for everyone this year.  I know some of you in the northern U.S. and Canada still have snow on the ground; I hope you soon have green grass and flowers.

Thank you for your visit; I'm joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays today.  Thank you, Alma, for hosting!


Denise