Tacoma Flowers, May 2008

Some years ago, I accidentally found on a neighborhood in Tacoma that had wonderful ornamental floral plantings in their front yards. I was trying to see the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge from the top of the hill and stumbled into this beautiful area. Not fancy houses, though, given the view, they are probably pricey today. A nice middle to upper-middle class neighborhood, but old enough that their cherry trees and rhododendrons and azaleas and ground covers and other flowers have had time to take hold and grow large. I think the key to this area is the weather that makes the plants lush and the overcast keeps the sun from bleaching out the colors. Not every house does this, to be sure, but every third one does, and for miles of streets along this west-facing slope. I doubt that this area is often visited, or even discovered by tourists. I was just lucky. Two weeks earlier or later and there would have been very little to see.

Here is a sampling of flowering plants in the front yard, along the street, seemingly all arrayed to make my day.

(If someone can tell us what the plants are, especially correcting any that we may have misidentified, please send mail.)

One small development in the area lined the entrance streets with cherry trees. Bev saw some areas like this from the plane on the way in, entire long streets lined with pink or white trees in full flower.

I'd hate to have to sweep up the petals, but looking at them is thrilling.

The rhododendron isn't out in full bloom yet, but the white ground cover is, whatever it is.

The white azalea is striking, too. There are also white rhododendrons, which we saw later.

And the red azaleas. There are lots of these all around the Tacoma and Seattle area. A very popular front yard plant.

A nice house with a beautiful yard. Don't know what the trees are. The variety of colors here is quite wonderful.

These yellow and blue flowers do apparently exist in the East and South, too, but their colors are not nearly so saturated there, possibly because the sunlight is too intense. All that overcast is good for something.

The juxtaposition of the blue whatever, the pink japonica, and the red maples is lovely.

This is probably rosemary. Not sure, but in any case what a nice cover for a stone wall.

This blue ground cover was either too early or just a little past. Don't know what it is. Or the pink one, either.

Great combinations, a clump of this color, a clump of that; tall, short.

Same for these flowering shrubs, great combinations of colors and textures.

A wall of white rhododendrons. These are all more than six feet tall, by the way.

An azalea of a purple color that I had never seen before. Does this require just muted sun, or special soil conditions or fertilizers?

A front yard with a combination of cherry, japonica, that white ground cover, red and orange azaleas.

Two very large japonicas, I think. The red leaves appear to me to be bracts, specialized leaves, rather than flower petals.

Also in Tacoma is the Glass Museum, with a large exhibit of Chihuly art glass work. We didn't go in, but the entrance is very cool, with these glass sandwich boards standing in a pool with a zero horizon edge, the mirrored "smokestack," and the flat entrance roof. (And the very cool suspension bridge in the background, too.)

On the footbridge to the Glass Museum are two towers of glass blocks mounted like giant blue flowers. Like all the other glasswork here, this is by Dale Chihuly.

Part of the footbridge is covered, and the ceiling is filled with these large glass flowers, several feet in diameter. The ceiling of the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas is similarly covered with hundreds of these. How do they dust them all?

Looking off a pier at Redondo Beach in Tacoma, one sees this strange device. What is it? Looks nice, though.

IMG_0633b.jpg One small development in the area lined the entrance streets with cherry trees. Bev saw some areas like this from the plane on the way in, entire long streets lined with pink or white trees in full flower.	IMG_0630a.jpg I'd hate to have to sweep up the petals, but looking at them is thrilling.	IMG_0621.JPG The rhododendron isn't out in full bloom yet, but the white ground cover is, whatever it is.	IMG_0638.JPG The white azalea is striking, too. There are also white rhododendrons, which we saw later.
IMG_0643.JPG And the red azaleas. There are lots of these all around the Tacoma and Seattle area. A very popular front yard plant.	IMG_0603.JPG A nice house with a beautiful yard. Don't know what the trees are. The variety of colors here is quite wonderful.	IMG_0640.JPG These yellow and blue flowers do apparently exist in the East and South, too, but their colors are not nearly so saturated there, possibly because the sunlight is too intense. All that overcast is good for something.	IMG_0626.JPG The juxtaposition of the blue whatever, the pink japonica, and the red maples is lovely.
IMG_0644.JPG This is probably rosemary. Not sure, but in any case what a nice cover for a stone wall.	IMG_0645.JPG This blue ground cover was either too early or just a little past. Don't know what it is. Or the pink one, either.	IMG_0608.JPG Great combinations, a clump of this color, a clump of that; tall, short.	IMG_0647.JPG Same for these flowering shrubs, great combinations of colors and textures.
IMG_0650.JPG A wall of white rhododendrons. These are all more than six feet tall, by the way.	IMG_0652.JPG An azalea of a purple color that I had never seen before. Does this require just muted sun, or special soil conditions or fertilizers?	IMG_0616.JPG A front yard with a combination of cherry, japonica, that white ground cover, red and orange azaleas.	IMG_0635a.jpg Two very large japonicas, I think. The red leaves appear to me to be bracts, specialized leaves, rather than flower petals.
IMG_0675.JPG Also in Tacoma is the Glass Museum, with a large exhibit of Chihuly art glass work. We didn't go in, but the entrance is very cool, with these glass sandwich boards standing in a pool with a zero horizon edge, the mirrored "smokestack," and the flat entrance roof. (And the very cool suspension bridge in the background, too.)	IMG_0661.JPG On the footbridge to the Glass Museum are two towers of glass blocks mounted like giant blue flowers. Like all the other glasswork here, this is by Dale Chihuly.	IMG_0658.JPG Part of the footbridge is covered, and the ceiling is filled with these large glass flowers, several feet in diameter. The ceiling of the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas is similarly covered with hundreds of these. How do they dust them all?	IMG_0684a.jpg Looking off a pier at Redondo Beach in Tacoma, one sees this strange device. What is it? Looks nice, though.

Residential Neighborhoods in Tacoma

Tacoma, WA, May 2008