Cherry blossom

Blossom Time

Posted on by Ann Mackay

Our lives may have been put on hold by Covid-19, but spring is speeding along as usual.

It seems that we wait for weeks in late winter for any sign of spring’s arrival. And then, when it gets here, it almost bowls us over with the energy and headlong change as everything in the garden rushes into growth and new life.

Spring feels wonderful but is hard to keep up with. So many jobs to do – plants, seeds, weeds – where to start? And with so many plants flowering at once, I always miss photographing some of them.

But the special flowers, like the cherry and crab apple blossom here, are worth making a special effort for. The wind had begun tearing at the delicate flowers, so I quickly cut a couple of sprays to photograph indoors. This makes it much easier to capture their details in close-up photographs, with no worries about them being blown around by the wind.

Being able to spend some time photographing these flowers was a special joy. It was a chance to appreciate their soft and transient beauty without other distractions intruding. And it was a bit of attention that the flowers thoroughly deserved. I hope you have time and the opportunity to enjoy some flowers this week.

Crab apple blossom
Delicate spring blossoms

Published by Ann Mackay

Photographer, mixed-media art adventurer and completely daft about plants.......

29 thoughts on “Blossom Time”

    2. Blossoms are really special and how nice to be able to rescue some before they disappear. The crowning glory of my village is the row of cherry blossom trees. Sadly I have missed most of it this year as I haven’t been there much.

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      1. It’s a shame to miss out on flowers, especially those that are only around for a short time – it will make them all the sweeter next year! Photographing the flowers in my garden is my way of keeping a little of them until next year… 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Laurel! 🙂 I hope that your spring arrives soon and brings lots of blossom with it! We’ve been lucky this year – lots of early sunshine and warmth. Spring is such an exciting time!

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  6. Beautiful images Ann! My kids said it was really weird to see the Cherry Blossoms on the Mall trees in Washington, DC, and no people around to see them. This is usually DC’s prettiest and busiest time of year. I wish I had a Cherry Tree in my front yard – how cool!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Syd! I’m glad you like the photos – I took them just in time because the flowers are already drifting away. It’s strange to think of all the things that have been done all over the world for people to see, and no-one there to appreciate them – gardens and all sorts of other things.

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    1. I seem to have been spending a lot of my time out in the garden – and I know how lucky I am to be able to do that. 🙂

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  8. I grew up with cherry and apple trees in our backyard, and waiting for the blossoms was so exciting. They were so delicate and fragile, and one good wind certainly could end the show, but that’s when we began anticipating the fruit.

    I think this is a perfect way to photograph them. Seeing them in situ is wonderful, especially with the sun to light them and the sky as a background, but this seems to capture their essence even better.

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    1. It’s much easier, especially with our own cherry tree, because the tree has been pruned a bit and now the flowers are too high up to photograph easily! (We didn’t want to prune it but it was accidentally damaged by a big van turning and had to be tidied up afterwards!)

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  9. These blossoms are so precious, Ann, the cherry petals, in particular, look almost translucent. Several nights of deep frost in mid-April brought a quick end to many blooming plants around here, which was very sad.
    I hope your spring will continue to bring you beautiful surprises.
    Best wishes,
    Tanja

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    1. Thank you Tanja! The flowers are almost gone now and the lawn looks as if it has a scattering of pink snowflakes, but they lasted quite well this year. It’s such a disappointment when heavy frost destroys spring flowers – hope you have more flowers soon!

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      2. I remember a square in Edinburgh that used to look as if it was covered in pink snow – quite spectacular! I hope you have a happy and flower-full May, Tanja! 🙂

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