Amsterdam is known for catching plenty of rain and although those endless days of gray clouds often cast a gloomy vibe, something really special happens when the rainy drizzle mixes together with bright, golden sunshine... Wildflowers begin to pop up all around the city!

And when that happens, I can't get enough of the Amsterdam's summer flowers on display. Especially bright bursts of pink, maroon, purple, magenta, yellow and crimson hollyhocks.

Known as stockrozen in Dutch, this tall, colorful, perennial flower is a particular favorite of mine and luckily, they're in abundance this time of year. It seems I can't cycle more than five minutes through the city without spotting a cluster of these stately flowers. Plus, they’re tall, like me. Some can reach over seven feet in length. I've noticed a few grew so big that they toppled over to one side after growing too tall for their own good.

I’ve spent most of my summer travelling but during my limited time in Amsterdam, I've been snapping away at the brilliant blooms and giant stalks. I even made a point to take the scenic route along Vondelkerkstraat because the entire street is lined with tall, colorful stockrozen. Hollyhocks are a staple of the Amsterdam summer sidewalk garden scene, casting happy vibes all over the city.

Fat fuzzy, bumblebees are naturally drawn to all the blooms. Upon closer inspection, you’ll often find bees devouring the pollen inside as they're preparing to next seasons blooms!