Then it went really cold.

            The hoar frost was almost like snow, the crystals where so thick.

First Frost

                                                       A hoar frost on the Skimmia's

All done

                           The raised beds are planted with spring bulbs and winter violas and wallflowers. 

     Drone view of our garden with newly installed patio, lawn and reflection pool.

The Toffee Apple Tree

Toffee Apple Tree - Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Katsura' Our Katsura tree had looked and smelt amazing this autumn. I have never seen all the leaves change colour all at once, so vibrant.

 

The Shieldbug

 

Copper on Blue

 

Totally surprised this afternoon when I sat watching the judging of the RPS Digital Imaging Group annual competition on zoom. I nearly fell off my chair when the winner of the gold medal came up on the screen and it was mine. "Copper on Blue" was taken on one of our Wednesday evening visits to Bodnant Garden with Bailey.

Crab Apples

 

It hasn't been a good year for the fruit trees in our garden with the exception of the crab apple which is loaded with sour-tasting fruit. It's just a shame that the wildlife in the garden doesn't seem to like them.

Five Spiked Yukka

Dried Leaves

 

Autumn Berries !

Berries already ! well I guess it is the middle of August

Cosmos

 

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Candy Stripe' off to a late start but a welcome splash of colour in August in the garden.

Love in a Mist

 

Nigella damascena, love-in-a-mist, or devil in the bush - I am not sure where that last name came from. Whilst very easy to grow I am not finding it easy to photograph.

Ammi majus

 

Ammi majus, commonly called  bishop's flower, false bishop's weed, laceflower, bullwort, etc., is a member of the carrot family Apiaceae. The plant, which has white lace-like flower clusters, has a large distribution through Southern Europe, North Africa and West and Central Asia, though it is hypothesized to be native to the Nile River Valley. Ammi originates from the Nile delta and was used therapeutically by the ancient Egyptians, as is documented in Eber’s papyrus. The plant was used in Egyptian folk medicine to treat urinary calculi and bladder stones which was common as a result of widespread bilharzia. The plant’s dried umbels are still sold today in markets in the Middle East and the Far East,

Agapanthus

 

Bee and Butterfly

 White-tailed bumblebee on scabious or as it is sometimes called the butterfly flower.

African Daisies

 

Rain

 

Poppies

 

Dirty Frames

 

Dirtying the frame is a term used to describe placing out of focus objects in the foreground to partially obscure the image and frame the subject. Used correctly the technique can add interest and context to the image.

Erigeron glaucus 'Sea Breeze

 The sea daisy, loves the sea air and the sandy conditions of our front garden. 

First Sweet Pea

 

Acers

 

Allium Time

 

              Trying to something different than the standard Allium clock shot.

Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve'

 

Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve' - Perennial Wallflower

Clematis Montana

 

Crab Apple Blossom

 

Nesting Time

 

Pear Blossom

 

First blossom of the year in the garden, pear blossom from our Conference pear.

Ants in the Euphorbias

 

The ants were very active around the Euphorbias in the garden this week.

Pussy Willow

 

First Butterfly

 

Well, the first one I have photographed this year anyway. The sunny weather has brought out this is a comma out of hibernation.

Helleborus hybridus Harvington double white

 

Crocus vernus 'Pickwick'

 Crocus vernus 'Pickwick' is an especially lovely Dutch crocus, bearing delicate white flowers with deep purple veining. Surprisingly I haven't planted any crocus bulbs at Danway, these are ones that were already in the garden,

An unexpected visitor.

 After a few windy days a hungry male pheasant was blown into the garden.

Swinging Pampas Grass

 

The plant's association with swinging has been dismissed as a myth by pampas enthusiasts, but broadcaster Mariella Frostrup said she had inadvertently identified herself as a swinger by planting the grasses outside her Notting Hill home a few years ago.

RHS Portfolio

  First photographic competition of the year: The RHS photographic competition. A panel of six images for the Portfolio category. It's a long time since I put a panel together, I had forgotten how much time it takes. Still not sure about the top middle.

Entrapment Revisited

 

 

Entrapment revisited and reprocessed from last year's cold spell.

A tangled web.

 A tangled web or rather a broken one, on the back of one of the garden chairs covered in waterdrops. Anywhere else in the country it would have been frost but not in Southport.

Viburnum tinus

 

Viburnum tinus, an evergreen shrub with dark green, oval leaves. Clusters of small, creamy-white flowers, often pink-tinged in bud, are produced over a long period in late winter and spring, followed by blue-black berries