Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Amazing Water Lilies and Lily Pads at the Italian Water Gardens at Biltmore 8/3/14

Hope you enjoy seeing all of the water lilies and lily pads today.
For my Birthday Trip this year,  George and I went to Blowing Rock,  North Carolina for a few days.  SO--on the day we traveled there,  we of course had to stop at Biltmore House and Gardens in Asheville,  North Carolina,  to see what was blooming in August...

SO--guess where we went first???  We had to check out the Italian Water Gardens --which are fantastic this time of year...  This year may have been the prettiest we have ever seen it... WOW!!!

Today I'll show you photos I took of the water lilies and lily pads.   I couldn't believe all of the amazing colors of the lily pads!!!!!  Hope you enjoy the pictures.  Be sure and click on them for enlargements. 


Lots of water lilies and beautiful lily pads!



I love the peachy/pink colors of this one.



I love the reflections in this one.



Don't know what these are --but they are so pretty!



More reflections



You can tell how much I love reflections.  But you can tell how much I love all of the different lily pads also.



This little beauty and the one below were mostly bloomed out when we were there,  but we managed to get a few photos.



Beautiful colors


So gorgeous and so much to see!!




See the BEE???



In love with PINK!!!


Look carefully at the reflections in this one... What do you see?????  It's a reflection of the Biltmore House nearby... Neat, huh?



Oh those amazing lily pads --and their colors!!!!!



The lighting on this one was pretty,  don't you think?



More reflections!



Little yellow flowers and their reflections



More gorgeous colors of the lily pads!


This last photo is NOT mine.  It is one which popped up on Facebook this past week...  I loved it --and since it was a Water Lily,  I decided to include it today... The quote says it all --don't you think?!!!

Have a wonderful remainder of the week.

Hugs,

61 comments:

Susannah said...

Hi Betsy, these are the most amazing and stunning water lily photos. I don't think I have ever seen any more beautiful. I have always been amazed by them. Is this the time of year that they usually bloom? If so, what a marvelous birthday gift! They are beautiful! Happy Birthday, again!

Susannah

Ginny Hartzler said...

Wow! These are spectacular! And it is hard to even find water lilies anywhere! I love the orange and black sunburst ones, they are spectacular!! And the big pads with edges on them. Your pictures are great. Thanks for showing me something I love but hardly ever see.

Rose ~ from Oz said...

These pads and lillies are some of the loveliest I've seen Betsy. And truly, the reflections really did it for me too. An awesome series of delightful photos!

eileeninmd said...

Gorgeous shots of the waterlilies, Betsy! The reflections are lovely. Great post from the gardens! Have a happy day!

Ann said...

Very pretty. I had no idea that lily pads could be so colorful. All those waterlilies are so beautiful and the reflections are simply amazing

Jeevan said...

Ever seen so pretty and colorful lily pads! Love the leaves textures and also the wonderful water reflections. You capture them all elegantly Betsy... splendid lights.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Love those water lilies!! I went to the Biltmore in 2004 but I don't think they had them there then.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

I just love water lilies. These are splendid!

The Furry Gnome said...

What an incredible garden, and great pictures!

linda m said...

WOW, are those every beautiful. I never knew water lilly pads could be any color other than green. You are lucky you live close enough to the Biltmore that you can visit as often as you do.

Out on the prairie said...

Amazing selection. I love that 2nd shot, but all were great. You found the beauty well.

Big Dude said...

You guys sure get your monies worth from season passes.

George said...

I think the Italian Garden is beautiful each time we visit, but this was definitely the most colorful display we've seen. Your photos -- with their reflections -- are gorgeous.

Ms. A said...

Lovely! Some of those look almost large enough to float on.

Linda P said...

As you can see from my August header I love water lilies especially in the elegant setting of a water garden. Yours are beautiful - so many varieties, colours and interesting leaves.

Susan Zutautas said...

Amazing photos! Gorgeous!

Sweet Posy Dreams said...

Those lily pad are truly gorgeous. The multi-colored ones are so unique. Thanks for sharing them.

NCmountainwoman said...

I love them too. When we visit I am always tempted to try to use them as stepping stones. Fortunately, I have resisted.

I Am Woody said...

Just beautiful!

Rajiv Sankarapillai said...

Wow, amazing pictures :)
Beautiful...!
Thanks a lot for posting this.
Have a beautiful weekend !

David said...

Betsy, Beautiful photos of the water lilies! I haven't been to Biltmore in a long, long time although Laurie has been in the past 5 or so years. The cost of admission is a bit of a deterent even though this is a great place to visit. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Sylvia K said...

I do love all of those gorgeous lilies, Betsy, and your captures are superb as always!! Incredible colors and variety! What a delightful birthday trip!! Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Terra said...

What a lovely birthday destination for you and thanks for sharing these water lily photos.

Chatty Crone said...

I have to be honest with you - I don't think that I have ever seen a lily pad in person - I do know they grow at a fast right - very pretty!

Tabor said...

Aren't you the lucky one to be so close to such beauty?

Lynda said...

Pretty neat to get the reflection of the Biltmore in that one pic. Did you see it before you took the photo or after when you were looking at them? Their flowers are gorgeous! Have you ever asked how many gardeners they have?

Fun60 said...

You are right, the water lilies are beautiful but the reflections are even better.

Our photos said...

Very nice. I like the lilypads !

Rose said...

Oh, my, Betsy....these were simply wonderful! I LOVE water lilies, and have never seen a lot of these. They are glorious!

Terry and Linda said...

I love waterlilies. My parent's lake on Grand Mesa has some sort of rare yellow ones.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I love water lilies and these are a wonderful variety, Betsy! I especially like thew variegated lilypads. I know you had extra special birthday celebrations --keep them coming! :)

Small City Scenes said...

Wow! Such beautiful images. Ya did good! I love the first reflection picture. Amazing colors. MB

LV said...

Nothing but some of natures beauty at its best.

Beatriz said...

You are lucky people, always meeting places and stunning scenery! As these flowers are beautiful Asheville. I stand here wondering how many different types of gardens exist in the USA. Glad you show us from time to time these beauties!
I'm already waiting for the next photos from your next trip ......
Kisses and hugs,

Bia

Ruth Hiebert said...

Beautiful,beautiful images. I had seen the title of your post earlier today,but had no time to read it,but since I was in Winnipeg and saw some Water Lilies,I thought about you.Wish I could see the ones at Biltmore some time.

Connie said...

The water lilies and lily pads are so pretty, Betsy. I love all the different colors.

BB said...

Hi Betsy...All I can say about your photos is "stunning". I just loved the reflections and colors. So glad you had a nice memorable birthday.
Hugs XX

DeniseinVA said...

Those waterlilies are a sight to behold Betsy. So many different colors and varieties. The larger lily pads are fascinating. I would really love to get to Biltmore one of these days.

Marie said...

This is one the most beautiful post ever! Love the reflections! So so pretty!

Janie said...

I love the quote, and all the photos are beautiful. The reflection shots are great!

Small Kucing said...

Yup...we have a lot of those over here too. They are so lovely. :)

Anonymous said...

OH, what fabulous photos! I love water lilies - so beautiful!

diane b said...

The water gardens are fabulous. I do hope we get to go there. Your photos are very good too. Crisp, clear, colourful and the reflections are great.

Anni said...

Beautiful...all of them. And the reflections are outstanding Betsy.

Thanks for visiting my bird photo blog this week.

Miss Debbie said...

Such a lovely place! Wonderful pictures...love water shots!

camp and cottage living said...

Beautiful! I had no idea that there were so many varieties of lily pads.

MTWaggin said...

I've never seen such a variety of water plants - what a joy to see and a perfect calm day too!

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

The photos of the water lilies are stunning. You've done a super job photographing them. I'll sure want to visit Biltmore House to see these beautiful flowers. Thanks for sharing this awesome posting with us.

Elizabeth Edwards said...

gorgeous!!! luv these shots! ( ;

Shug said...

I still haven't had the opportunity to visit this place, but hoping to soon... there is so much beauty in each of these photos and the different kinds of lily pads makes for a interesting post... Love the flowers that the lily pads make...
hugs friend.

Judy said...

That looks like a wonderful place to visit! Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos with us. My favorites were the ones with reflections. Nice photos :-)

happyone said...

Wow they are beautiful and so many different kinds. We'll have to get a couple for our little pond.

Dr. Kathy McCoy said...

They are absolutely magical, Betsy -- but, of course, your wonderful photography really shows them at their best!\

Pat Tillett said...

Of course you had to stop at the Biltmore, right?
Beautiful photos Betsy. I did enlarge them and you are so right about the colors.

A Colorful World said...

Heaven! Just Heaven! I can imagine your sheer joy as you walked through these gardens and saw these gorgeous flowers and lily pads, and the soothing water. I love them! Love those striped lily pads too--so different! It is all just so beautiful! Thank you so much for letting us see them!

I guess you can tell we don't have any chipmunks here in Tucson, and don't even see the cute little ground squirrels much, and that's why we were so excited to see those little guys. They are just so darn cute! :-)

troutbirder said...

Wow! This garden is truly wonderful. I've never seen the like....:)

Arkansas Patti said...

You and George really get your money's worth out of you season pass. Wouldn't you love a water garden?
I am always fascinated by those table top lily pads.

Beth said...

These are gorgeous! I esp. like the striped lily pads.
I wish I had taken more pics of the water garden! We had just arrived and there was so much to see that we didn't give it the time it deserved.
But yours gave me some flashbacks!:>)

Andrea said...

These are amazing too, specially those variegated leaves, they are beautiful even without the flowers.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Gorgeous lily pads- I love the peach ones. Those orangey ones are pretty neat too!

Kay said...

Oh gosh, Betsy! I love waterlilies and these photos truly captured their beauty. Wow!