In April 2025, we visited the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, which consists of approximately 55 acres of landscaped and wooded areas at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. We will post images of flowers from there.
Blend of Colors
Colorful Flowers
The University of Kentucky Arboretum in Lexington was landscaped well, and there is a pond with greenery, sky, and cloud reflections.
Reflections on the Pond
The Kentucky Children’s Garden at the University of Kentucky Arboretum features child-sized representations of Kentucky’s landscapes (natural and man-made, past and present) and themed sections such as butterfly, vegetable, and transportation gardens. Here is a colorful entrance.
A Colorful Welcome
A greenery walkway leads one to the University of Kentucky Arboretum landscape with flowers.
A Walkway of Greenery
A Colorful Setting
The Arboretum is a 100-acre public garden located on the campus of the University of Kentucky in the heart of Lexington, Kentucky. They aim to showcase Kentucky landscapes and serve as a resource center for environmental and horticultural education, research, and conservation.
We will post images of flowers and exhibits in the garden.
Arboretum in Lexington
A Flowery Landscape
Initially designed and created as simply an addition, these structures have become permanently linked to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Used countless times over the years as a promotional tool, links to numerous stories, and a reminder of the place, the Twin Spires have become a revered symbol.
If Churchill Downs is American Thoroughbred horse racing’s cathedral, its steeple and eternal landmark is the Twin Spires. These two pinnacles cast a glow up and down Louisville and across the landscape of horse racing history.
Twin Spires
It is a dramatic landscape image showing sun rays on a tree, a picket fence, and a perfect rainbow on a dark, cloudy sky in the Lexington, Kentucky, countryside.
Striking Rainbow in Lexington Countryside
280 acres of rolling pasture land located five miles northeast of downtown Lexington. The park boasts a shared-use trail system open to horse riders and hikers. Here is an image of a bench to sit and view the landscape and goldenrods.
A Bench to View the Landscape
Last month, we visited Lexington, Kentucky, and will be posting images from that area.
Kentucky’s state flower is the goldenrod, readily viewed in all landscapes. Lexington has beautiful landscapes in the countryside.
Kentucky State Flower Goldenrod
Beautiful Landscape of Lexington
Dorothea Dix Park, a 308-acre property acquired by the City of Raleigh in 2015, is the largest city park in the City of Oaks. The site blends historic architecture and rich landscapes on the edge of downtown Raleigh. Named for Dorothea Lynde Dix, an American activist on behalf of people with mental illness, the site spent 150 years as Dorothea Dix Hospital and more recently has been home to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Here is an image of sunflowers facing the beautiful North Carolina sky and clouds.
Sunflowers Facing the Sky
Hydrangeas, one of the most beloved landscape plants, are revered for their large dramatic blooms that add long-lasting color to the garden in summer and fall. These romantic shrubs come in many white flowering varieties, adding timeless beauty to any yard. The color white complements most other hues, helping to cool down the landscape during the heat of summer.
White Hydrangeas
White Hydrangea Closeup
We continue to post some images from our July 6, 2024 visit to The Triangle Bonsai Society which displayed an amazing array of bonsai carefully pruned plants in the Doris Duke Center at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, North Carolina.
Although Bonsai is a Japanese word, the art of growing these miniature trees originates in China, called “Penjing” or “Penzai”. Penjing are miniature landscapes, displaying a combination of rocks, trees, and figures – though increasingly single plants are shown in China these days.
Penjing Forest Bonsai
The blend of flowering plants and grass type elements add to the variety of landscape at J C Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, North Carolina
Flowers and Grass
The unincorporated Lake Junaluska community in North Carolina is centered around a beautiful 200-acre namesake lake and surrounded by 1,200 acres of rolling hills and valleys. The high peaks and stunning natural beauty of the area offers numerous photographic opportunities of landscapes.
This image has a foreground to frame the scene making it more interesting than the photo posted earlier this week.
As you walk through the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, the harmonious blend of meticulously manicured landscapes, cascading mini-waterfalls, tranquil ponds, vibrant flowers, and traditional architecture creates an ambiance that soothes the soul.
Shooting against the sun in Sunset Beach, North Carolina at sunset creates interesting rings to frame the landscape images.
Although cloudy, one can see the varied beauty of the Yorkshire Dales landscape in England.
Dark cloud formations add to the pleasing landscape in The Peak District, England.
The Peak District countryside is in fact, a veritable microcosm of England’s green and very pleasant land. From the lush pastoral meadows and gently rolling hills of Ashbourne at the southern gateway of the White Peak, to the high windswept peat bogs and grouse moors of Kinder Scout in the bleak and mountainous `Curlew Country’ of the Dark Peak, the sheer beauty and diverse nature of the landscape is breathtaking – which is one reason why this increasingly popular region of England continues to attract more visitors annually that any other region of comparable size.
Low water levels in the river in Bera expose the rocky landscape, but still provide pockets of water for a black-headed Ibis – a large wader with a white body and bare black head and neck. Males and females look similar and both have grayish tail feathers.
