Five photos above by Jim McEwan Sixth photo by Geneva Murphy.
Photo above by Cecelia Granados
The Certificate:
The Picnic: Though there were a few sprinkles of rain, we celebrated with a picnic at the Anacostia River overlook amidst the dogwood collection at the United States National Arboretum:
April 18, 2010: We drove into Raleigh to visit the J.C. Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University. This arboretum is very well laid out and and also well mapped. The plants are better tagged than at many arboretums or botanic gardens. We particularly liked the way plants were grouped. For example, there was a short walk featuring a variety of weeping shrubs and small trees, one after the other.
A robin; and the stunning Iris 'Pure Sapphire' [It's said that there is no true blue in botany, that the blues are actually violet tones; but this iris is pretty truly blue]:
Wedding photography:
The perennial border:
A Lady Banks rose cascades over a trellis (right rear):