Precious petals

I feel that my descriptions of flowers as "pretty" terribly inadequate, particullarly after reading this wonderful passage by Gerald Durrell:

"Pale anemones with the tips of their petals dyed red as though they had been sipping wine, pyramid orchids that looked as though they had been made of pink icing, and yellow crocuses so fat, glossy, and waxy-looking you felt they would light like a candle if you set a match to their stamens...the road lined with tall and ancient cypresses, each covered in a layer of white dust, like a hundred dark paint brushes loaded with chalk white."

Birds, Beasts and Relatives