For me, one of the sure signs that spring is almost here is when I see the first daffodils of the year. This year, since I had shows in South Carolina and Richmond, I saw my first daffodils a few weeks earlier than I expected. This week, they are finally starting to bloom in the Washington, DC area.

One of my favorite places to photograph daffodils is at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. Each year, hundreds if not thousands of daffodils of different types grow at the gardens.

Here are a few of our favorite daffodil photos we’ve taken in recent years at Brookside Gardens.

The first photo is a group of daffodils growing along the stream at Brookside Gardens

Daffodils (c) 2007 Patty Hankins

Here are a pair of white and yellow daffodils

Bill photographed this set of early daffodils with the contrasting purples of the delicate Glory in the Snow blossoms.

Daffodils and Glory in the Snow (c) 2004 William Lawrence

In April 2007, a late snow provided the opportunity to photograph the daffodils with a few flakes of snow on them. Fortunately, it warmed up quickly, and the snow melted within a few hours.

Daffodils in the Snow (c) 2007 Patty Hankins

This is the first set of daffodils I’ve had a chance to photograph this year.

The daffodils at Brookside Gardens should continue blooming for the next couple of weeks. I know I’ll be spending a lot more time there photographing them.