Colourful walk (Coombe Wood)

It was a wonderful Spring morning yesterday and perfect for a walk. I was away last week so it's a week since my last visit to Coombe Wood. What a difference a week makes. I was greeted by a riot of colour as the tulips are out now and the underplanted bedding plants have filled out and are flowering. .

There are at least at least five areas with different colour schemes

and all sorts of different tulips. Here's a mix of dark pink tulips with ragged edges and deep red ones which have petals that arch back as they open

I didn't know where to look first - such wonderful colour combinations - but I'm drawn to those unusual ragged tulips.

How different the insides of various kinds of tulips are.

Different sizes too - these are tiny. 

A hedge by the pond has turned orange. 

The orange flowers are tiny - there's an ant (bottom left) and what looks like a dried pine needle near the middle.

New leaves against a wonderful clear blue sky. 

Blossom

Pink edged rhododendron

A heavily laden bee about to vanish behind the tiny blue flowers.

At the top of the little steps a small shrub that was covered in buds last time I came has been transformed and is now clothed in white flowers.

Flamboyant orange fritillarias and purple honesty flowers.

Magnolias. 

These little pink flowers are still filling the air with their delightful perfume.

Judas Tree - gorgeous pink buds.

Only a few Golden Rain Tree pods remain from last year but no flowers yet - I must have been t mistaken about the flowers last week - they must have been on the next tree.

I like the curl of the petals on these yellow wildflowers.

Blossom

A closer look at the honesty flowers. 

Looking up at the fritillaria flowers. 

Green and silver mottled leaves and tiny blue flowers which are similar to forget-me-nots.

Tight little bobble buds opening their frilly petals. 

Scented yellow azaleas. 

Yellow azalea buds in front of lilac rhododendrons. 

Looking closer at the lilac rhododendrons. 

Pink buds turning white as they open. 

So many of these buds are poised ready to open and fill the air with their delicate scent.

White blossom and blue sky.

Red acer leaves opening. 

What an amazing structure each individual bleeding heart flower is.

Magnolia leaves and flowers lit up by the sun. 

This colour combination really attracted my attention. 

Tiny berberis flowers.

Aquilegia buds. 

So many rhododendron buds. 

Sone are open - but there's a lot more to come. 

Back to the tulips - red and orange

Deep pink with blue/purple underplanting. 

White and pink underplanting with soft lilac and vibrant pink tulips.

Looking inside. 

Dark pinks and red.

Gorgeous stripes on these petals. 

Layers of petals. 

Tulips leaning towards the sun. 

A different sort of frilly tulip. 

Purple. 

Two tiered fritillaria. 

Pointy petaled red tulips. 

Slender black stamens in these red tulips. 

White bleeding hearts. 

The pink tulips that look as if they have frayed around the edges fascinate me. Last week was the first time I'd ever seen tulips like these.

Red and orange. 

Pink and red. 

And back to those frayed tulips again. 

Amazing orange, lit by the sun.

Heading back to the gate. 

Ferns uncurling. 

and a different kind of fern. 

Some more tulips. 

Two of the areas of different colour combinations. 

Three stages of bulrushes - old and weathered at the back, seeds being released unevenly (right) and seeds released more regularly (left) - looking like sticks of candyfloss. 

Thank you very much for joining me.