Sun, Snow, and Flowers - The First Week of Spring in Vancouver B.C.

Vancouver must have even more microclimates than we deal with in Seattle - so far today we've had winds that must have blown in off a glacier, bright sun, pouring rain...sometimes all at once. The hills around the bay are liberally dusted with snow, dramatically dark clouds and huge white puff clouds alternate with clear blue sky. This city is intensely urban with all its stylish residential towers dominating the skyline, yet so rooted in nature with water, mountains, trees and flowers everywhere you look...

I'm here to speak to the Garden Design Group, such a generous and welcoming group of dedicated gardeners and professionals. But today we spent the day walking - through Stanley Park, around Coal Harbour, checking out galleries on Granville Island, and dinner in bustling Yaletown.

Here are a few photos of this supremely beautiful city, right on the cusp of springtime..

First stop - Granville Island, wiht all its cool shops, flower stalls, public market, boat shops and art galleries..

Everywhere on this funky island with its old, refurbished industrial buildings are flowers - daffodils and primroses blooming in half barrels, flower markets, and displays at individual shops, like this woven basket of spring blooms -

The concentration of galleries on this one little peninsula is exciting...

The public market is a feast for the senses....you're hit with the smell of flowers, fresh produce and exotic spices the minute you walk inside..

Every door opens to flowers inside and out...

And the beautifully displayed produce is nearly as tempting as the flowers...

A wall of vases at the new CB2 store on Robson Street - I didn't know this hipper Crate and Barrel was anything but a catalog....the store is full of bright colors and contemporary design at reasonable prices.

There's a new (to me, anyway) chain of grocery stores called Urban Fare that is so sleek and upscale it makes Whole Foods look downright dowdy...one of the many green displays at Urban Fare on Alberni Street.

It was heartening, despite the cold, to find proof that spring has arrived in Stanley Park...

 

Comments

[Chris]

Beautiful photos of a beautiful city!! We were just there for 3 days in January and miraculously, the clouds parted for us and it was glorious!! So glad you're able to spend some time in such a garden loving city and share your photos!