Flowers At The State Capitol

I had to be in the down town area last week, so I spent some time at our State Capitol. The only way to get a center shot of the Capitol is as you drive up Capitol Avenue. I took this shot stopped at a stop sign. Thankfully there weren't any cars passing by!

I plan on posting again to show some more shots of the building, but today I wanted to show you the flowers. This is the Iris Garden tended by the Central Arkansas Iris Society. It's not quite in bloom yet, but it is loaded with Iris buds. Can you imagine what it will look like in full bloom!

 There are some really amazing colors. I've never had any luck growing Irises, but I do enjoy them! They are so frilly, and lady-like to me!

 The photo didn't do this one justice. I was there at mid-day and the light was very strong. It's really so deep that it's almost black.

 Isn't this one pretty with the different tones?

 There's is also a rose garden that has more than 1,500 rose bushes of over 50 varieties. Ranging from the English rose and hybrid teas to shrubs and climbers, these are part of the national test program. Growers submit 20 specimens to the test garden each year, where they remain for three years before being replaced by younger plants and new varieties. The removed plants are donated to schools and organizations. There are two sections in an "L" shape. This will be unbelievably beautiful in a few weeks. I sure intend on going back to see them in bloom.

 This one reminds me of a peppermint and really looks like a carnation.

A beautiful bud opening. It is the same variety as the above rose.

 This one was such a gorgeous color. Wish my pictures were better.

And who doesn't love a beautiful red rose!!

There is a pretty little azalea bed with benches and bird bath under a beautiful oak tree.

Here's a closer view of the flowers and the birdbath.

The grounds of the Capitol are a peaceful, beautiful place to stroll around even on a busy work day. I'll try to post some shots of the Capitol building itself next. It seems I'm so behind in posting that I'm feeling a little pressure. I started the quilt series here and haven't gotten back to that yet. And then I had a great weekend and I want to post about that! I may be posting a lot this week to catch up!