Views from Harrogate: Gardens and Flowers

Despite all science and multiple people explaining it to me, I still had an **inkling** that flowers bloomed because of temperature.  When the weather in DC warmed up, the flowers quickly bloomed.  Here in Harrogate, where it has been early spring weather for the past 3 months, my mind has been changed...flowers really do bloom because of sunlight!

Because Harrogate is so far north, the summer days are very long - with very early sunrises and sunsets around 9 pm.  This, combined with a very wet environment, creates a perfect environment for so many varieties of flowers.  Everywhere I turn, there are beautiful gardens - formal gardens, box gardens, informal gardens, wild flowers - the volume and variety is just overwhelming!  As we head into fall (where days will get down to 5-6 hours long) -  I am trying to soak in the last of their beautiful painted colors!

Here is a compilation of some of my favorite gardens and flowers that I have seen here:

Beautiful Artichoke (Harewood House) 

Sunflower (Harewood House)

Sunken Garden (Kensington Palace, London):

Valley Gardens (Harrogate) - with the Alfster:

Check out the amazingly deep color of these hydrangea.  I LOVE them (Harrogate):

Coffee Pavillion in the Valley Gardens (amazing baskets, right!?!):

Sweet roadside garden (Harrogate)

Roses (York):