Asparagaceae Family | Beautiful Flower Pictures Blog

Grape Hyacinths – New Photo

by hankinslawrenceimages | May 13, 2019 | Asparagaceae Family, New Photos

I’ve recently added a new photograph – Grape Hyacinths – to my website at https://beautifulflowerpictures.com/store/grape-hyacinths/

Grape hyacinths are one of the wonderful flowers that bloom in the early spring. They always add a wonderful pop of shades of purple in the garden. When I seen them blooming, I know it’s just a matter of time until the daffodils bloom, followed by the tulips, and then irises. It had been a long winter, so I was especially happy to see this set of grape hyacinths blooming at one of the local gardens that year.

Grape Hyacinths is available matted to 20 X 12 inches and 24 X 16 inches.

A Wonderful Spring Morning at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

by hankinslawrenceimages | Mar 27, 2019 | Amaryllidaceae Family, Asparagaceae Family, Iridaceae Family

A couple weeks ago, I spent a few hours photographing at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia. One of things I love about Lewis Ginter is their daffodils – in the spring they have so many beautiful daffodils throughout the gardens. The other great thing about Lewis Ginter is that it is about 100 miles south of Washington DC so spring arrives a couple of weeks earlier there than it does here.

It seems like every year, just as I’m about to go crazy from what feels like a never-ending winter – I start seeing photos of spring flowers taken at Lewis Ginter. And I decide I need to make a quick trip to Richmond.

This year I photographed daffodils, grape hyacinths and dwarf irises on my early spring visit.

Cum Laude Daffodils © 2019 Patty Hankins

Gigantic Star Daffodils © 2019 Patty Hankins

I’m sure I’ll be back photographing at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden again soon. But I wanted to share this wonderful taste of spring with you in case you are in as much need of spring as I am

Sapphire Blue Cuban Lilies – scilla peruviana

by hankinslawrenceimages | Feb 20, 2017 | Asparagaceae Family

I recently photographed some amazing blue and purple flowers at a local garden. According to the label, they are Sapphire Blue Cuban Lilies (scilla peruviana), which surprised me since they didn’t have the structure that I tend to think of when I see a lily. It turns out they aren’t members of the lily family at all – they are members of the Asparagaceae family.

Cuban Lilies are native to the Western Mediterranean – Italy, Spain and North Africa. Which got me wondering – why is the botanical name peruviana and the common name cuban – if they are native to Europe???? It turns out, they were originally thought to be Hyacinths – so named Hyacinthus stellatus peruanus by Carolus Clusius. Apparently the bulbs may have been transported on a ship named Peru and Clusius thought they were from Peru. When Linneaus recognized them scilla – the Peru part stayed. So that explains the Peru in the botanical name.

But so far – I haven’t found anything to explain the Cuban in the common name! Does anyone know where that came from?

Here are some of my photos of these enchanting flowers.

Sapphire Blue Cuban Lilies © 2017 Patty Hankins

I Came Home to Spring!

by hankinslawrenceimages | Apr 6, 2016 | Asparagaceae Family, Brassicaceae Family, Flowers, Liliaceae Family

I’m back from the Springtime in the South photo tour to Savannah and Charleston – and happily photographing spring flowers here at home. When I left, daffodils were just starting to bloom in the DC area – how they’re in full bloom everywhere. The cherry blossoms have peaked (I missed seeing the ones at the Tidal Basin this year). Spring wildflowers are starting to bloom – and even the tulips are blooming at local gardens.

Here are a few of the flowers I found to photograph in my first few days back home.

Cutleaf Toothwort (cardamine concatenata) – an early spring blooming wildflower photographed along the C&O Canal

Cutleaf Toothwort (cardamine concatenata) © 2016 Patty Hankins

Some purple hyacinths at a local garden

Purple Hyacinth Reflections © 2016 Patty Hankins

And some yellow & green tulips – probably a type of parrot tulip but since the signs aren’t out yet – I’m not sure

Yellow & Green Tulips © 2016 Patty Hankins

Given the way things are starting to bloom here in the DC area – I have the feeling I’m going to be out photographing frequently in the next few weeks. 🙂

A Few Members of the Asparagus Family

by hankinslawrenceimages | May 29, 2015 | Asparagaceae Family

Continuing my series of posts of photos that have been sitting unposted on my hard drive . . . I thought I’d share a few photos I’ve taken of the asparagus family. Sharing the photos by family seems to be the best way I can come up with to share these photos. I also find it fascinating to see what flowers that are members of the same family and botanically related – because if I just looked at them it’s likely I never would have figured out they were related 🙂

Purple Hyacinths – Hyacinthus orientalis

Christmas Pearl Grape Hyacinths – Muscari armeniacum

Christmas Pearl Grape Hyacinth © 2012 Patty Hankins

Drooping Start of Bethlehem – Ornitholagalum nutans

Drooping Star of Bethlehem - ornitholagalum nutans © 2013 Patty Hankins

Yucca – Yucca recurvifolia

Now that I look at all the photos together – I can see similarities that are characteristic of members of the Asparagus (asparagaceae) Family. I’m even seeing ways they are similar to one of my favorite vegetables!!!!

Glory of the Snow – Chionodoxa

by hankinslawrenceimages | Apr 29, 2015 | Asparagaceae Family, Flowers

One of the signs of spring in the DC area is when the Glory of the Snow blooms. The delicate blue blossoms add a wonderful splash of color to the often brown spring landscape. Native to the eastern Mediterranean, these wonderful little flowers are members of the Asparagus family. They grow to just a few inches tall – and last for just a short while – but they are always a welcome sign of spring. Once the glory of the snow blooms – then the daffodils and tulips are only a short while away.

Here are some of the Glory of the Snow photos I took earlier this year.

Is there a spring flower that when you see it blooming you know that winter is over and spring is finally here? If there is – I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below.

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