It’s gray and overcast here today, although the recent warm temperatures are giving me spring fever. In the Atlanta area, we could hit 75 degrees in February, plunge back to freezing a week later, and have daffodils in bloom a few days after that. Since I’m getting tired of the bare landscape, I dug out some pictures from last April, when I visited Alabama’s Bellingrath Gardens and Home. It was cloudy then, too, but azaleas and lots of other plants were starting to blossom.

Some azaleas had already hit their peak. Their fallen petals look like confetti on the path.

Bellingrath is a 65-acre Southern estate that opened to the public in 1932. It’s been drawing visitors ever since, and this Gulf Coast icon is a popular place for weddings and other events.

The water looks so cold, doesn’t it?

Purple, yellow, and lavender pansies and violas perked up this woodland scene.

Love this froggy fountain.

Stunning orchids were blooming inside a Bellingrath greenhouse.

Angel’s trumpets perfumed the air that day.

I was on a group tour, but I wish I’d had time to just sit and enjoy this beautiful, peaceful scene.

Sigh….pictures like these will have to do for a little while longer, but spring isn’t far away.