In The Pink (Purple, Red, Yellow...)

You do not know how long I've been waiting for these azaleas and rhododendrons to get their act into gear!! Well, yes, obviously just as long as everyone else, but Spring has been so late in arriving this year that I was wondering if she was every going to turn up at all. Late, and strangely so considering that Winter couldn't be bothered in putting in a real appearance either, and certainly not to the extent where you'd expect Spring to be too scared to show her face until it was safely over. 

But she's here now, and certainly not afraid to pull up her greens skirts and dance a colourfully petticoated can-can!

So instead of heading off home after I had made my early morning visit to the Japanese Garden this ay-em, I made my way around the main Clingendael estate especially because I knew these babies were finally out. I came on an azalea-hunting mission back in April, but returned home empty-sighted, disappointed to see just how lackadaisical Spring was acting. (She was probably still Wintering somewhere warm.) I had a cursory glance the couple of times I was visiting the Japanese Garden last month, and although there were stirrings in the old buds, it was nothing to get excited about. But now, almost two months later than last year, there's a fireworks display of azaleas that has my shutter finger twitching! (Forgive me, but "touch-screen finger-prod twitching" lacks a certain photographic romance and style to my eyes.)

Following the colourful route around the park, I eventually drew up to the north side of the estate, where the baroque-inspired formal Dutch geometric garden is laid out, capped by a wonderful sweeping marble staircase, itself made secondary to an dramatic display of either Allium Giganteum or Allium Globemaster (Dr Google couldn't convince me one way or the other). But (please forgive me any horticulturists reading) it didn't really matter, because how fabulous is that tableau of ostentatious onions?

Dear Mr Grounds-Keeper, you're worth your weight in allium bulbs!