Did you hear the news? The magnolias are blooming at the
San Francisco Botanical Gardens. No, that doesn't excite you? Well, magnolia happens to be my favorite tree. Probably because I don't have one to clean up after. They make a tremendous mess. Pretty much all year round. But their stunning show of blossoms in the winter and their velvety leaves of summer won me over at a very young age. So it was off to San Francisco for some adventuring with Emerson and her grandma.
And we were not disappointed with its acres of winding trails, unexpected little meditation spots and happy hideaways. It feels like a dozen little secret gardens perfectly sprinkled throughout a vast park. It's exactly the type of space that every single city needs. A serene refuge from the frenetic metropolitan energy. I especially loved the California Native section, where we spotted the tree below. Isn't she pretty with those bits of moss blanketing her branches?
Fun fact: Half way through our visit I realized I had the white balance on my camera set for tungsten. Yeah, good times. Although, I have to admit the slightly blue hue adds a bit of drama, don't you think?
This little toe-dipper into the botanical gardens opened my eyes to how much Golden Gate Park has to offer and how little of it I've explored. I'm already scheming our next visit to the boat house at Stow Lake and a picnic in the Shakespeare garden. Any other suggestions? I'd love to hear about any of your favorite park getaways in the city.
P.S. Soup Monday will be back next week with either roasted beet or minestrone. Any preference?
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8 comments:
Get out! Magnolias are MY favorite tree.
We had a couple star magnolia trees in my yard growing up. One of my favorite times of year was when the fluffy white petals would gently rain down around me.
But they did start to decay once they landed. Bleech.
beets!
How beautiful! I forget how early spring comes to California. Last January, I spotted strawberries in a local city garden down in City Heights San Diego. I may take a stroll to the DC Botanical Garden, which is only two blocks away from me, and see how spring is getting on there.
i had a magnolia tree when i was a little girl.....i loved it!
xxt
This is so pretty! I would love to visit. We have a Missouri Botanical Gardens here. I love walking through.
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We live on Magnolia Avenue, but we have none on our block. I sometimes regret that we didn't use Magnolia as Audrey's middle name. I love their velvety leaves almost more than the flower. That middle photo is gorgeous.
I'm on a beet kick. Roasted beet soup sounds wonderful.
Those magnolia trees are gorgeous! I seem to remember having a picnic in the botanical garden (near the palm trees in the conservatory) ages ago--I think there was also a concert happening. How wonderful that you just got to spend some time there, want to hear about your next picnic (although it might be too cold for awhile!)
xo Mary Jo
p.s. thanks for your sweet comment yesterday-totally cheered me up!
oh... how i adore magnolias... thank you for taking us along on your "golden" exploring.
-xok.
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