A Walk at the Biltmore

Yesterday we walked at the Biltmore Estate, doing the loop from the Garden Shop parking lot through the azalea gardens, around the Bass Pond to the waterfall, and back along the water's edge til we got to the Azalea Garden again and finally the formal walled garden. The app on my iPhone said that it was about a 2 mile walk.

 There was still some brilliant color to be seen in the Azalea Garden, but to be honest a week or 10 days ago there would have been much more to catch the eye.

 We had a nice blue sky with some fluffy clouds and the day was maybe 60 degrees, a bit chillier than we have had recently and a bit below what we would expect this time of year. But it was a comfortable temperature for walking.

 There were several fringe trees in full bloom. If I had a bigger yard, I would plant one of these.

 And there were several blazes of flame azaleas, which are a personal favorite with
their brilliant orange blossoms.
And there were still several large clusters of several shades of pink...

 And rhodies, which I always think follow a little later than the azaleas.

Once out of the Azalea Garden, there are plenty of pretty vistas around the Bass Pond.

There was quite a lot of water flowing over the waterfall, which we looked at from below and above. Here I am on the bridge.

Russ joined me on the bridge and we continued on around the pond.

 We're getting better at taking selfies!

Back at the formal walled garden, some of the earlier roses could be found... in another couple of weeks every bush will be covered!

 Lots of iris and other perennials were in bloom. Here are a couple of photos.

 And the garden areas which formerly held thousands of tulips and daffodils are now planted in the summer flowering plants which will provide a carpet of color all summer.

The garden doesn't look very crowded with people in this shot, but it was busy as usual. Our walk was done at a relaxed pace and the warm sunshine and cooler air temperatures made it very pleasant. As I sat on the wall, people-watching for a while, I noticed how tired many of the tourists looked, as apparently they had expended a lot of energy walking through the house before they came to the garden.