carlsbad flower ranch

Carlsbad Ranch and their 50+ acres of ranunculus was the last spontaneous destination of the trip heading back from San Diego...and it was so. heavenly. beautiful. I truly have never been so overwhelmed by color. It was once-in-a-lifetime unforgettable.

One important reason why I am so fond of this memory is that it is so truly and completely spontaneous. I had never heard of anything like this in California, let alone the United States...I only thought that fields like this existed in Europe. I saw an editorial in a hotel magazine about the Flower Fields at Carlsbad the day before and was immediately curious and intrigued. And even more conveniently, it was located right on our way home - about 5 minutes off of our route. Fate? Yes!!

From the road, you could see the rows and rows and rows of vibrant bursts of color. Ask S - I think I was squealing. By the way, S was SO patient as we walked through here. It might not look like it from the pictures, but the place was teeming with tourists. It was also teeming with the happiest buds of ranunculus - a more delicate kind of peony - of every color imaginable. It was beautiful to see the variety of colors even within one row. From afar, it looks like blurred punches of one color, but when you walk up to the flowers and get on a closer level, you really see all of the flecks and variegated colors within the petals.

I could write a love letter to these fields. I want to sleep there, wear a big floofy dress in there, and just take thousands of pictures all day. As a photographer, this was a moment out of one of my dreams. I loved the cheerful vibes of the staff - I mean, I guess working at a place like this is the secret to happiness indeed. I want to cut a bunch for a gigantic bouquet, but then I don't - how could one ever willingly cut away from these gorgeous, undulating waves of color?

Carlsbad's peak season is from the end of March until May. I am so, so eternally happy that I was blessed with the opportunity to see this with S! He knows it meant a lot to me. I love the little hidden treasures like this. Go if you're ever down on I-5 by Carlsbad :)

Ps. Thanks to the @the_flower_fields for following me back on instagram! You guys are the coolest. Be back soon :)

ciao, xo