Signs of spring ...

I had a much anticipated walk around Kew Gardens today with the lovely Kristina - I even remembered my 'big' camera! I'd forgotten how much it dislikes the chilly wind that was blowing all the delicate winter flowers around though and so, sadly, many of my {blurry} photos have disappeared into the recycling bin *sigh*.

Wrapped up in untold layers, and with coffee and cake in our tummies, we braved the cold, cold wind and grey skies.

I find it so cheering to see the emergence of the first signs of spring. My own garden is beginning to tease me with its new growth too. My last remaining patch of snowdrops is very thin on the ground as it seems to have established itself bang slap in the middle of a well-used doggy pathway beneath the big conifers.

Winter aconites are one of the first things to meet the challenge of the low temperatures of winter and early spring and I feared I had lost the few I had in my front garden, but today I spotted a solitary yellow bud and so I am hoping that mine are just extending their hibernation and getting up late. At Kew, however, there were lots of cheerful little clumps dotted around.

Swaying bravely in the wind, Kew's hellebores were the main casualty in the photography department today and this lovely lime green one was the best of a {very bad} lot. How I love them - a complete work of botanic art.

A new-to-me plant that is fast becoming a necessity somewhere in my garden, is witch hazel. I've absolutely no idea why they have been off my radar all these years of gardening. I adore the slightly scruffy flowers. This gorgeous yellow one caught my eye immediately so I can imagine what a focal point one will create if I planted one in the border at the back of my garden.

I love all the spring bulbs and cannot wait for my own garden to burst into colour over the coming months. I know for certain it is the anticipation of my tulips, narcissi, anemones and alliums that will get me through February now. There are signs of spring all around.

The beauty of wood...

Kew Gardens in July - Part Two

I'd been looking forward to seeing the David Nash sculptures in situ since we happened upon the set-up a couple of months ago.

I absolutely love the Ent-like nature of these branches striding through his wood quarry.

As imposing as the larger sculptures look outside in the gardens:

 I think they really come into their own inside the glasshouses, nestled in amongst the ferns and foliage:

Off the beaten track...

Kew Gardens in July - Part One

Isn't it always the way? In spite of having become a bit of a sporadic blogger, the minute my broadband goes down, my head gets full to bursting with blog posts. Five whole days we've been offline. It felt like going cold turkey and my eyes are strained from peering at my phone which gave me 3G to feed my internet addiction! The lack of xBox hasn't been pretty either for a certain someone. Just saying'...

All up and raring to go again as of a couple of hours ago - woohoo!

So, Nancy and I went to Kew on Monday determined to have a proper look at the wonderful David Nash sculptures, but more of that in Part Two.

I've been a member at Kew for just over two years now and I am pretty certain that on every visit I've made I have discovered myself in a part of the gardens that I have never been in before. This time, we found ourselves off the main paths and in a shady woodland area that was over by the badger sett. The paths were soft underfoot from the natural leaf mould rather than the tarmac paths that we usually walk.

It was hard to believe that we were in the carefully planted Kew that we both love and know. The area had been left to grow naturally and there were lots of tree stumps that were the habitat for stag beetles. It would have made my day had we spotted one.

As we strolled and chatted, we came across these stunning wild lilies. Using the wild flower identifier app on my phone, we soon discovered what they are: Martagon Lilies.

They were much smaller than cultivated lilies, probably about the size of a golf ball, but they had the distinct lily fragrance and the tell-tale pollen.

Further along the path, we then saw this pretty yellow wildflower trailing through the bigger bushes. Out came the app again and voila! Big Root!

It had some impressive tendril spiralling going on but I failed to capture it clearly so you'll have to take my word for it or ask Nancy nicely to post her photos ; )


Another little gem within Kew is this walled garden below. It's not always open but I was hoping it would be this time as I knew the borders would be breathtaking. I was right and came home full of big ideas for my own pesky back border. A girl can dream...

Late summer...

Hot colours around Kew yesterday, captured on camera whilst walking and talking with Alice and Kristina.

The highlight of my day was Alice tentatively asking if we ever stopped for a drink or something to eat! Heehee.  Of course we do... eventually...!

Holidays have been taken and I am seriously considering adopting the habit of taking a siesta in the afternoon as a matter of routine.  Just an hour, but it seemed to make a whole lot of difference to the rest of the day.  Particularly if there were gorgeous beaches to wander along.

I am a creature of the shade and so have no tan to show off.  More an impressive (for me) list of three books read and reaching the letter K on my sampler (that I saved for my holiday, being light to pack) ticked off my to do list.

I am looking forward to the rest of the holidays to be able to write, write, write (deadline fast approaching), balanced out with some creative pursuits and perhaps some gardening.

Looking...

...backwards...

Thoughts from the christening:

• I found this picture on Pinterest the night before the christening so I got up at 5am on the morning of it to replicate it for my Godchildren.  (They love me calling them that!)  I decided to find some photos of them when they were much younger rather than how they are now.  I think they were pleased. 

• The food was just the right amount and hugely appreciated by everybody.  Phew.  Fancy trying a new quiche/flan?  This one was delicious.

• It wasn't so appreciated when three people shrieked in unison "eek, there's a rat".  Ooops.  The downside of having the chicken coop near the deck.

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• On the subject of chickens, I lost my two lovely new girls to a fox last week.  I'm trying not to feel guilty as I loved the fact that they free-ranged around my garden.  Flossie is lonely and has been following Pip or me around like a lost sheep.  I will get a couple more once I am back from my summer holiday.  I'm not enjoying buying eggs for the first time in nearly four years.

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• I took my youngest nephew and niece to Kew last week.  It was far from the sedate stroll around that I am used to.  I hardly took any photographs either as someone commandeered my camera.

• I took them up on the Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway.  They ran round several times while I clung to the rail, not enjoying the height and the wobbliness.  It was good to get a different perspective though.

• Looking back up was fun too.

• As was playing on logs.

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Looking forward...

• to making a quilt each for the boys for their christening presents.  I had to give them an IOU as it was all a bit last minute.  I'm loving the joys of chain-piecing.

• To tasting the first ripe tomatoes from the garden.  Warm from the sun, together with perhaps some mozzarella and avocado.

• And a holiday in the sun sometime soon and hopefully balmy days of August for the rest of the summer holidays.

What are you looking forward to?

Catching my eye...

...at Kew this week... hot pink and orange beds...











... bees being busy...





...passion flowers...





...with spirally tendrils...

Kew in April #2…

Kristina and I made our monthly visit to Kew yesterday.  We were hoping for lots of blossom but other than this pompom-like pink stunner, we seemed to have either missed it time wise or walk wise.

 

 

Looking back over my post from April last year, there is a noticeable difference in the blooms this year.  They are much earlier, which is surprising as we had a long, cold winter.

 

 

The rhododendrons were in full bloom and my favourite was this unusual pale lemon one.  I always tend to think of rhododendrons being pink or mauve.  These were  a whole month earlier than last year.

 

 

We also stumbled across this beautiful pale lemon magnolia, still in all its glory while its cousins were dropping all their petals.

 

 

My absolute favourites though, were the tulips.  We didn’t see them like this before, that’s for sure.

 

 

Whether they are parrot tulips in an urn with happy-faced violets underneath…

 

 

…or striking lily-flowered tulips (I’m guessing that this is the type they are because the lily-flowered ones love to open out in the sun), underplanted with white forget-me-nots…

 

 

… or peony-like ones, perfect against the blue forget-me-nots…

 

 

…or stately single tulips with wallflowers…

 

 

… I cannot get enough of them.  Love tulips.

 

 

Not magnolia...

This month's visit to Kew rounded off a whole year of visiting regularly and so we have come the full circle.

I've always been fascinated as to why the ubiquitous, builders choice of paint colour, magnolia, has the most boring of reputations, when in real life magnolia's are anything but boring.

The ones at Kew (and there are many) are dramatic and majestic. Whether it is the tree itself simply because it is huge and therefore very old, like the one above, which coupled with a glorious blue sky only adds to its impact, or the individual flowers below, which are like works of art.

As we strolled along, we suddenly noticed a swathe of lilac colour in the distance and immediately headed over.

The tiniest of flowers, naturalised in the grass...

The membership that I took out will most definitely be renewed and I'm looking forward already to seeing what this year has to offer. Thank you Kristina and Nancy for another wonderful day.