Christmas Rose

 

This cerise patio variety continues to have its second flush of flowers providing a splash of colour in the garden during these dull wet December days. Even the frost last week hasn't stopped it. 

Fibonacci curve

 I have tried to photograph several flowers to try and get a good Fibonacci curve from sunflowers to daisies and failed. This is the nearest I got with the bud of an Echinacea flower.

Mathematical biologists love sunflowers. The giant flowers are one of the most obvious—as well as the prettiest—demonstrations of a hidden mathematical rule shaping the patterns of life: the Fibonacci sequence, a set in which each number is the sum of the previous two (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, ...), found in everything from pineapples to pine cones

Shrub of the Year

                                                            Lavatera - Rose Mallow. 

I found this Lavertera plant struggling to grow under one of the conifers in the garden. Vic dug it up and I potted it up and planted it this year in the back border in full sun. It has flowered continuously since May and is still flowering in late November. I guess its a case of the right plant right place. 

Cotoneaster

 

November and the Cotoneaster still has lots of red berries, for some reason the birds do not seem to like them.

Cornus Alba - Red-barked Dogwood

 

A new addition to the garden which will hopefully provide a splash of colour all year round.

Autumn leaves

 Lots of Autumn colours in the trees we brought in pots from the cottage, most of them now planted in the ground. American Sweet Gum, Ginkgo biloba, Smokebush and Acer although sadly the Acers don't seem to like the coastal conditions.

October

 

October and the Helianthus are still flowering well, the Dogwood and the Sweet gum trees we planted seem to have settled in well.

Micklemass Daisies

 

Small Copper

 My first sighting of a small copper butterfly and yes, and they are small compared to the tortoiseshells and red admirals but very pretty and colourful.

Juicy Apples

 

Homegrown apples. Well, they look good but whether they are tasty too I will leave up to Vic to try.

Autumn Gold

 

The flower of summer 2020 is this perennial Helianthus flowers in our back garden. I can't even remember them being there in our first summer, then last year they were amazing and the patch has grown even larger this year ( too large in fact). They flower and flower from July onwards. Tall, maintenance-free, don't require staking and are drought tolerant. I think they deserve an RHS Gold Medal.

Where are all the butterflies this year ?

 

Where are all the butterflies this year ? This is the first time I have seen a Gatekeeper, not rare I know. Sadly it would not display it’s wings so I went for a more pictorial picture.

To Bee or not to Bee

 

Sunshine and Showers

This year has certainly been strange in more ways than one. The weather is very changeable with temperatures going from 16 degrees to 26 in less than 48 hours and its been very windy with 40 mph gusts too. None of this had spoilt the Hydrangeas which had bloomed well this year.

Bring me Sunshine.

Helianthus Decapetalus, perennial sunflower.

Sweet Peas

The first bunch of sweet peas of the year all ready to cut. They do smell beautiful.

Sea Daisy

Sea Daisy - Erigeron glaucus is a member of the Aster family. It is a real asset to our coastal garden. The less rain it has the more it flowers of so it seems.

Sleeping Poppies

It's poppy time in the garden. I love the variations in colours of the opium poppies. Papaver somniferum or literally ‘sleep-inducing’ poppy. When I was reading up about poppies I found this interesting article.

https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/tale-two-poppies

What is real ?

The same type of poppy and a hoverfly but which is the best picture? 

Did I tidy up the flower in situ or in photoshop and was the hoverfly even there at all? 

Photoshop and peoples skills with photoshop have improved so much over the years that I have now started to question the originality of some images particularly nature images.

The reality is that the first picture is as it was. In the second I thought I had tidy up the same poppy flower by hand and then put the hoverfly in with photoshop. What I didn't see until I put the two side by side was that it was a different flower. I never noticed the difference in the centre capsules of the two flowers which had identical petals but completely different capsules.

The First Cosmos

Cosmos have been the mainstay of all the annuals in the garden since I first discovered them.  Providing you deadhead them they will flower and flower into October. I don't remember ever seeing them as a child.

I'm still standing.

Allium christophii, star of Persia or my least favourite name for this beautiful flower the Persian onion. Whatever the name this member of the Allium family is still standing tall in our windswept front garden in Southport after the 50 mph winds we have had over the last 24 hours. Yes, we are in June.

Allium Nectaroscordum

Allium Nectaroscordum - I have thought these flowers were quite exotic looking would be good to photograph, so last autumn I bought a few bulbs. To be honest I forgot all about them after I planted them until a month ago when I wondered what was coming up in one of my pots. They are so easy to grow, although a little taller than I thought. But more interestingly from a wildlife point of view is the fact that bees absolutely love them. 

Sahara or Southport

It's more like the Sahara than Southport at the moment. All the lawn has turned to dust with just the occasional weeds surviving. Other than the odd shower I think early March was the last time we had any significant rain.

Alliums - Where did they come from ?

A patch of six allium flowers is currently flowering in the middle of the lawn. This is a real mystery since we have had the house two years now and they have never appeared before. It is also amazing that they are flowering so well in the middle of a desert which is the current state of our lawn.

From Blues to Pinks

The garden is changing colour as the April blues fade the soft pinks of May arrive with Geranium oxonianum.

Spanish Bluebells

The Spanish bluebells have put on a real show this year, they are really taking over. The shaded area just outside the patio doors is the last place for them to come into bloom. Reading below I think we have a selection of hybrids because ours are scented.

Native bluebells...

• have narrow leaves, usually about 1cm or 1.5cm (about half an inch) wide

• have deep blue (sometimes white, rarely pink), narrow, tube-like flowers, with the very tips curled right back

• have flowers mostly on one side of the stem only, and distinctly drooping, or nodding, at the top

• have a distinctly sweet, fruity scent

• inside the flowers, the anthers with the pollen are usually cream.

Spanish bluebells...

• have broad leaves often 3cm (over an inch) wide

• have paler blue (quite often pink and white), conical or bell-shaped flowers that have spread-out tips

• have flowers all around the upright stem

• have almost no scent or an unpleasant onion scent

• inside the flowers, the anthers with the pollen usually blue (although this may vary a little).

The hybrid between these two is also very common – they’re actually more abundant than Spanish bluebells now - with a whole range of intermediate characters. The hybrids are often abundant in gardens, along hedgerows and road verges and in woods near to urban areas.

No, it's not Autumn

No, it's not Autumn, early May and the Acers are in full colour. All the leaves are fresh and pristine on this seven lobed Acer palmatum.

Windflower and Bluebells

Sadly not native wood anemones or bluebells. But it's the first time I have managed to get a display of these delicate spring flowers - Anemone blanda 'White Splendour' and Spanish Bluebells.

Pear Blossom

Blossom from our conference pear tree. The pear blossom has been a symbol of hope and of lasting friendship.

Pussy Willow Catkins

Goat Willow (Salix caprea) Also known as the pussy willow, the male catkins of the goat willow look like a cat’s paws. Unlike most willows, the leaves are oval rather than long and thin. I never realised The Willow trees at the cottage where Grey Willow (Salix cinerea subsp. oleifolia)) A soft, silvery lover of damp woodland, the grey willow is a bit scruffy but full of charm. 

A Hellebore from the Cottage.

This is one of the self-seeded hellebores which came from the cottage, I had hoped it would have had a double flower but it's a lovely colour.

Snowdrops and Storms

I was surprised that I managed to photograph the snowdrops in the garden. I thought there would be too much wind to get a picture. I think I found the only sheltered spot in the garden it has been so windy on the coast these past few weeks.

Iris foetidissima

The Stinking Iris t is one of two Iris species native to Britain, the other being the Yellow Iris. Its flowers are usually of a dull, leaden-blue colour, or dull buff-yellow tinged with blue; the capsules, which remain attached to the plant throughout the winter, are 5 to 8 cm long; and the seeds scarlet. It is known as "stinking" because some people find the smell of its leaves unpleasant when crushed or bruised, an odour that has been described as beefy.

Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae

Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae is a bit of a mouthful. W bought this from Bodnant garden last autumn and It is just coming into flower ready for spring. Alternative names include Mrs Robb's bonnet and wood spurge.

Last of the Berries

For some reason, the birds do not seem to like these clusters of red berries on our Cotoneaster Tree.

Icy Apples

From frozen flowers to Icy Apples, a first for my love of frosty photography.