Garden visits, plant and garden news and some photography notes
News and notes from 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
2015 | 2016 (Australian Gardens)
April 2015
The avenue of pleached hornbeams at Hidcote in April just before the leaves open.
35mm lens at f11 hand held at 1/80 sec (Hidcote is normally too crowded for tripods). RAW file needed minor localised adjustments in the shadow areas and sky. Midday in bright light with high thin cloud. |
March 2015
Sezincote House Gloucestershire - Interesting architecture and a beautifully laid out garden with fine trees and water features make Sezincote a pleasure to visit. The house was built in 1805, the brief - to build an Indian house in the Mogul style of Rajasthan.
Taken on an overcast day with just a glimmer of sun occasionally breaking through. 35mm lens 1/100 sec at f10. |
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
The visit to the Araucaria forest in the Conguillio National Park was one of the highlights of the botanical tour of Chile. This photo was taken just after sunrise with the mist lasting only a few minutes. A truly magical place these very old trees were towering above shrubby Nothofagus antarctica and growing in volcanic ash very similar in appearance to the ash fields that Pinus canariensis grows in around Mount Teide, Tenerife.
Less than a mile from this spot Nothofagus dombeyi becomes the dominant tree with truly massive specimens growing in a dense forest with some giant Araucarias and Chusquea carpeting the ground, a plant lovers paradise. |
November 2014
The Cactarium at the National Botanic garden of Viña del Mar in Chile contains over 6o species of cacti and is a fraction of the gardens plant collection. Less than 2 hours drive from Santiago the garden enjoys a Mediterranean climate and features in particular plants from the Region of Valparaíso.
This was the first port of call on a 3 week botanical tour of Chile which included the Region of Valparaíso, the Lake District and Patagonia. |
October 2014
Cutting edge horticulture at RHS Garden Wisley. One of the best gardens anywhere to see high standards of garden maintenance, plant placement, summer bedding, fine specimen trees, herbaceous borders, roses, fruit trees, alpines and much more. Wisley has gone from strength to strength over the years and shows what can be done with good management and a very dedicated and knowledgable workforce. Plant labelling and information around the garden is kept up to date. Indeed all visitors are well catered for and many return frequently.
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September 2014
Haemanthus coccineus flowers in early September in the UK. Unfortunately not hardy here but does very well in a pot, I've had this plant for around 20 years. It makes giant new leaves after flowering that last until spring before dropping, then through the summer nothing until now! I raised the pot up high so I could photograph the flowers from a low angle and diffused the sunlight to prevent clipping the reds. Hand held 60mm macro at f5.6.
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August 2014
Mirador del Time is one of the best view points on La Palma. 500m above Tazacorte beach on almost vertical cliffs there are views over the Aridane valley, Tazacorte, the Cumbres, the entrance to the Caldera and the coast towards Fuencaliente. This photo shows the view into the Caldera and was a little way uphill from the Mirador. Its one of the few areas I know of where Aeonium nobile grows in abundance. The plants grow on the steep sides of the cliff and involved a perilous climb to get to them. They are in flower at the end of July and are one of 2 species of Aeonium with red flowers. Canary Island flora.
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July 2014
Tortworth Court is a Victorian Mansion in South Gloucestershire not far from Westonbirt. Built in 1850 by the Earl of Ducie Lord Mayor of London. The property has had a very checkered history since the war, being used by the military for training, a hospital and then a prison. By the 1990's the house had become derelict and suffered a large fire in 1991. Some of the original grounds are now built on and used as an open prison. The mansion was restored and opened as a hotel in 2001.
Tortworth Court was notable for its extensive arboretum started in 1853 by Henry Dulcie and rivalling at the time Westonbirt. Despite the ravages of time there are still many fine specimen trees in the grounds. Here is a link to the tree list. Arboretum booklet. |
June 2014
Just completed a short tour of the gardens in south west Ireland. The Dunloe (hotel) has a fine collection of trees and shrubs catalogued by Roy Lancaster. Kells Bay Gardens which justifiably boasts one of Irelands most spectacular setting has suffered losses as a result of the previous cold winters and this last stormy winter which is a shame as judging by the labels the garden had some very unusual plants. Still highly recommended though. Illnacullin - Garinish Island was a real highlight wonderful location and interesting plant collection, Agathis australis, Dacrydium cupressinum and Fitzroya cupressoides were all looking good. Fota arboretum was fantastic, pity they lost the Phoenix but there is so much more to see. Muckross Garden near Killarney is another garden in a spectacular setting and a joy to walk round with the added bonus of native woodland and of course the Killarney strawberry trees.
May 2014
The Savill Garden is an enclosed part of Windsor Great Park "one of Britain’s greatest ornamental gardens." There are 35 acres of contemporary and classically designed gardens and exotic woodland. It was developed under the patronage of Kings and Queens, the Savill Garden was created in the 1930s by Sir Eric Savill. Beautifully laid out and maintained the garden is a joy to explore especially at the beginning of the season when everything is coming to life.
Taken with a 28mm lens the RAW image required a little darkening in the sky and a curve adjustment.
Taken with a 28mm lens the RAW image required a little darkening in the sky and a curve adjustment.
April 2014
National Trust Garden Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland. The garden is situated on the east shore of Strangford Lough and features formal areas near to the house running into woodland walks surrounding a lake. At this time of year the trees are the stars of the show a vast collection scattered round the garden in a very pleasing way.
March 2014
In February 2014 the Palmetum finally opened its doors to the public. Located on the outskirts of Santa Cruz on what was once a landfill site the project was started in 1995. Gas seepage coming from the buried waste was one of the biggest problems to overcome in the early days. And when planting began in 1996 there would be many more issues to overcome making the road a difficult and long one.
Hopefully most of those challenges are in the past and the garden will prosper and be the success it deserves to be. Read on
Hopefully most of those challenges are in the past and the garden will prosper and be the success it deserves to be. Read on
February 2014
Only 2 hours drive from Sydney and a 1000 metres above sea level the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden is described as the cool climate garden of the Royal Botanic Gardens. Growing plants unsuited to Sydney's climate the garden is largely divided into geographical zones.
Plants fron the cooler regions of the southern hemisphere are the main feature of the collection and include Ericaceae, Proteaceae, conifers and many other trees and shrubs.
The day before this photo was taken it rained from dawn till dusk.
Plants fron the cooler regions of the southern hemisphere are the main feature of the collection and include Ericaceae, Proteaceae, conifers and many other trees and shrubs.
The day before this photo was taken it rained from dawn till dusk.
January 2014
"Botanic Garden in Australia wins World Landscape of the Year 2013" this award was presented at the World Architecture Festival 2013. On the site of a former sand quarry outside Melbourne the Australia garden was created by landscape design studio Taylor Cullity Lethlean and plantsman Paul Thompson. The garden is a showcase for Australian flora and cutting edge garden design.
The garden at Cranbourne is part of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and consists of a large area of native bushland and the 15 hectare Australian Garden.
The garden at Cranbourne is part of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and consists of a large area of native bushland and the 15 hectare Australian Garden.
December 2013
Richeas and Dracophyllums share certain similarities often growing at higher altitudes in free draining moist acid soil. Dracophyllums come from New Zealand New Caledonia and Australia. Richeas from Australia with the most species occurring in Tasmania. Both are rare in cultivation with Dracophyllums possibly being the more difficult to grow and nearly impossible to obtain in Europe. I have only ever seen one New Zealand Dracophyllum in cultivation in Europe and less than a handful Richeas.
The walk around Dove Lake in the Cradle Mountain area is particularly rewarding for plant enthusiasts with something of interest every step of the way. Ancient conifers, giant Richeas and Tasmanias only deciduous tree Nothofagus gunnii. The walk is supposed to take 2 hours it took me nearly 7 hours.
The walk around Dove Lake in the Cradle Mountain area is particularly rewarding for plant enthusiasts with something of interest every step of the way. Ancient conifers, giant Richeas and Tasmanias only deciduous tree Nothofagus gunnii. The walk is supposed to take 2 hours it took me nearly 7 hours.
November 2013
As part of an Australian garden tour a week was spent in Tasmania checking out the flora and fauna of the island. It very quickly transpired that a week was not enough to do the island justice. Unpredictable weather and car problems thrown into the mix meant a struggle to keep to the planned itinerary. Four gardens and three wilderness areas were visited by doing long days and a lot of night driving. The Botanical gardens in Hobart were visited on the last day and made a good finale to the Tasmanian leg of the trip. Plants of interest included the Lobelia aberdarica, Echium simplex, Doryanthes and of course a fine selection of native plants.
October 2013
A photo from the archive...The Abbey gardens on Tresco. This image was taken on a Mamiya 6x7 camera using velvia film about 15 years ago. The slide film was scanned using a flat bed scanner at 2400 dpi and then resized. Very little editing was required. The colours have come through the process very well and are as good as any modern digital camera!
The garden is like no other in the UK for exotic and less hardy plants as you can see in the photo the Phoenix canariensis are mature trees.
The garden is like no other in the UK for exotic and less hardy plants as you can see in the photo the Phoenix canariensis are mature trees.
September 2013
The Palladian Bridge over the River Nadder at Wilton House
The Palladian Bridge completed around 1737. This is about the only view you can get of the bridge as the grounds on the other side are roped off and crossing the bridge is not allowed. So this shot had to be taken into the light and needed a little work to get the best from it. This photograph is 3 individual photos panned across the bridge with a 100mm lens and then merged in photoshop. In hindsight possibly a better time to photograph the bridge would be early morning. I was there at 4pm.
August 2013
RHS Wisley glasshouse and lake
This image is actually 2 wide angle shots stitched together in photoshop. The weather was overcast in the morning with the cloud breaking up at midday and gone by the evening. This was taken about midday. I took about 12 shots trying to catch the sun when it was on the glasshouse. The only editing was to darken the sky by about a 1/4 of a stop.
July 2013
The Temperate House at Kew gardens getting ready for restoration
Last chance to visit the temperate house for five years. The plants are being lifted and removed ready for the restoration. The big Jubaea chilense famed for being the tallest palm under glass looks like its staying put for the moment.
Opened in 1863 the temperate house is the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse in the world. The photo was taken in the south wing which housed the African plant collection. Phoenix palms and a large Encephalartos are visible in the picture.
Opened in 1863 the temperate house is the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse in the world. The photo was taken in the south wing which housed the African plant collection. Phoenix palms and a large Encephalartos are visible in the picture.
June 2013
Rhododendron hybrid in flower
The first week in June and the Rhododendrons are still going strong. R. arboreum and the large leaf species are past their best but many of the hybrids and scented species are stealing the show. The weather now is finally warming up after a cool May which perhaps accounts for the extra colourful display of the last few weeks.
May 2013
Myosotis Pink and blue forget-me-nots at Kingston Maurward
Spring bedding display at Kingston Maurward garden. The mix of pink and blue forget-me-nots stand out well against the formal lawns and clipped yew hedges. This photo was taken early in the morning between rain showers in the second week of May. The oak and beech trees are just coming into leaf.
April 2013
Parque Garcia Sanabria Santa Cruz Tenerife
The Parque Garcia Sanabria is the central park in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It's around a hundred years old and about 16 acres in size. First impressions are of a clean, tidy and well maintained park with a wide variety of mature palms and trees. In the centre is a large fountain feature with paths radiating out to bamboos, bedding, succulents, gingers and numerous flowering trees and shrubs. This photo was taken looking down the main avenue towards the fountain.
March 2013
Palms and temples at the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden
The Nong Nooch tropical garden is an extraordinary garden. Theres something for everyone, from themed gardens and topiary on a grand scale to full size model animals, treetop walkways, stonehenge and giant amazon fish you can feed in the lake. For plant lovers magnificent palms are in abundance the cycad collection is one of the biggest in the world and there are many other unusual trees and shrubs, bromeliads, sansevieria, agaves and container plants everywhere you look. This photo was taken near to the top of the garden where these wonderful palms are growing amongst the temples, further up are more palms, cycads and nursery plants the garden is so vast its difficult to see everything in one day.
February 2013
The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Garden Thailand
The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek was a flower festival held in November 2006 to end of January 2007 and attracted over 3 million visitors. Since then another festival has been held and the grounds are open daily. Its about an hours drive from Chiang Mai and can take a full day to go round. Themed gardens from around the world, an orchid display, a royal pavilion, shade houses, palms, cycads, colourful bedding and water features means theres something for all plant lovers. Some of the displays and beds on the fringes of the garden have been let go but this is a tiny fraction of whats on display.
January 2013
Westonbirt Lime avenue in the old arboretum
The Lime Avenue at Westonbirt in Mid winter. The arboretum holds part of the national collection of limes with around 40 different ones including 3 champion trees. This photo was taken into the light and needed an extra 1.5 stops exposure compensation. 1/30 sec at f10.
December 2012
The Gazebo at Forde Abbey Garden
The Gazebo at Forde Abbey has a hedge growing round the back of it making it a tight squeeze for a photo. This is 3 jpegs taken on a 24mm lens stitched together. The hedge prevents going back more than a few feet so it meant either using a very wide angle lens or doing what I did, taking 3 shots in the landscape format, one for the mid section then one below and one above. After the merge the photo needed some work to give it a lift. Selective colour saturation then some dodging and burning on the stonework helped to make the gazebo stand out.
November 2012
Stourhead late Autumn colour
The second week in November is getting a little late for the best Autumn colour particularly if you are relying on the Japanese maples. However many of the other trees were still looking good at Stourhead. This was a quick one hour visit and the sun only came out for 5 minutes which was just enough time for this shot. Taken on a 70 - 300 lens at 70mm. 1/50 sec at f11 no filters but a few RAW edit adjustments. Brightness reduced, contrast reduced, white balance adjusted and colour boosted. Finished. The camera setting was standard, trying the camera landscape setting made things far too harsh.
Stourhead has to be one of the most photographed gardens in the world, I always see large numbers of photographers when I'm there, not surprising really.
Stourhead has to be one of the most photographed gardens in the world, I always see large numbers of photographers when I'm there, not surprising really.
October 2012
Glendurgan in the rain
Photography in the rain is difficult but sometimes unavoidable. I usually swap the tripod for an umbrella and work as quickly as possible checking the lens after each shot. I learnt the hard way that a spot of rain on the lens is almost impossible to edit out. A shutter speed of 1/80 sec was just enough to register the rain in the background. Glendurgan is one of Cornwalls finest valley gardens. Plants of note include, Aciphylla, Araucaria bidwillii, Agathis australis, Dacrydium cupressinum and Schefflera macrophylla amongst others.
September 2012
Mapperton Garden in Dorset
The joy of digital photography. Taken at Mapperton gardens in Dorset, edited and uploaded all in the same day, its so easy. The only down side is if you take hundreds of photos finding the time to sort through them. I took 5 shots of this composition and this was the only one with still water and reflections. The late afternoon light was very flat so the image needed a boost in photoshop and it was ready to go. 1/5 sec at f16 with a 45mm focal length lens.
August 2012
La Mortella on the island of Ischia near Naples
La Mortella is a spectacular subtropical and mediterranean garden started in 1956 by the late Susana Walton, wife of the British composer Sir William Walton. La Mortella is divided into two parts the lower garden and the terraced hillside. The network of paths lead the visitor through different areas of the garden and up to the lookout and views of the Bay of Forio. The garden features a wide and interesting range of plants and is maintained to a high standard.
July 2012
July 7th Heavy rain brings down giant tree at Abbotsbury Garden
24 hours of heavy rain in Dorset causes chaos. One of the pair of Cupressus growing near the upper pond at Abbotsbury gardens fell victim to the storm. Cupressus macrocarpa commonly known as the Monterey Cypress was first described in the mid 1800's and the ones at Abbotsbury would probably have been amongst the first planted in the UK.
The tree has fallen through a clump of bamboo into the pond and across a lawn which is going to make the clear up job particularly challenging. I would guess the height to be around 28m making it one of the tallest in the country. Interestingly they don't get this high in their homeland.
The tree has fallen through a clump of bamboo into the pond and across a lawn which is going to make the clear up job particularly challenging. I would guess the height to be around 28m making it one of the tallest in the country. Interestingly they don't get this high in their homeland.
June 2012
White Wisteria, Wisteria floribunda Alba
The White Wisteria at Barrington Court is an outstanding specimen. Caught on camera at its very peak, 1\5 sec at f14 on a 35mm lens. The light was soft and bright making it an easy shot to record and edit.
May 2012
The Azalea bowl at Exbury Gardens
Early May at Exbury and the Azaleas are at their best. The weather was cloudy dull with rare moments of brighter conditions and no wind. A blue sky would have been nice but that usually means harsh light and in woodland makes photography very tricky. 2 shots taken and stitched together in photoshop. Lens, 45mm. 1/30 sec at f16. The editing of this photo proved to be quite challenging. The results on screen looked good but terrible when it came to printing. The first print was muddy and too warm the following six were better but still not right. Getting the white balance right was the main issue partly because the wide range of colours in the subject highlighted anything a little off and partly because the light was filtering through the tree canopy altering its colour. A print is far less forgiving than screen viewing.
April 2012
The Redwood Avenue, Benmore, Argyll.
Sierra Redwood Avenue. Sequoiadendron giganteum at Benmore Botanic Garden. Planted around 1862 the avenue now forms a grand entrance to this spectacular garden. Featuring many giant trees alongside Rhododendrons and wild collected plants from as far as Chile and Tasmania it can take all day to get round this vast garden.
March 2012
The Yew hedge at Montacute
Montacute revisited. This Yew hedge at Montacute is one of the features of the garden and this is a second attempt at capturing its character. 2 shots were taken one at 1/80 sec at f11 for the sky and the second, 1/25 sec for the hedge. The sky was then blended in to the 2nd shot in photoshop. The camera is set to standard colour which suits most shots however in this case during raw conversion on the pc it was changed to landscape. This considerably beefed up the contrast and colour. Finally the grass needed desaturating to bring it back to looking a little more natural.
February 2012
Ficus macrophylla
Ficus roots. This spectacular tree is the centre piece of the botanic garden in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife. Normally the light is very harsh at mid day in this garden giving black shadows and lost highlights under the canopy of trees. On this particular day there was a lot of cloud about which helped soften the light and fill in shadows. The light was constantly changing and this shot just happened to be grabbed at the right moment. This is 3 jpegs merged together in photoshop with very little additional editing. Taken at f 18 to maximise depth of field, at 1/20 sec. iso 200. 24 mm lens.
February 2012
Hamamelis mollis x intermedia Pallida
Hamamelis x intermedia 'Pallida' look at their best in February even when its frosty.
Click on the image for an even closer look.
Photo taken on February the 12th 2012 early morning in very overcast conditions with only the slightest occasional breeze.
1/5 sec at f11. iso 100.
Click on the image for an even closer look.
Photo taken on February the 12th 2012 early morning in very overcast conditions with only the slightest occasional breeze.
1/5 sec at f11. iso 100.
January 2012
Camellia japonica flowering in January
What's flowering this month. The winter in most of northern Europe has so far been exceptionally mild. Here in the south of the UK there are a lot of plants flowering much earlier than usual. Click on the picture to view the gallery of plants flowering in January in the south of England.
Note; The first week in February brought sub-zero temperatures to most of the UK, putting an end to some of the early displays.
Note; The first week in February brought sub-zero temperatures to most of the UK, putting an end to some of the early displays.
January 2012
The Wingnut tree at Abbotsbury was admired by all.
Champion tree at Abbotsbury Gardens has its last sunrise. The Caucasian Wingnut tree Pterocarya fraxinifolia planted in 1845 has been sonically tested and found to be rotten to the core. Work has now started to remove the tree which will take a couple of weeks. Each limb has to be cut individually and lowered by rope followed by sectioning the trunk so no damage is caused to the historic Camellia grove below. Its sad to see it go as it was reputed to be one of the finest in Europe.
January 2012
Montacute garden in south Somerset.
Elizabethan stonework is a feature of this formally laid out garden. The local Ham stone has a warm glow further enhanced by the winter sun. This was taken late in the day when there were very few visitors and the sun was casting long shadows. Ideal for a broad shot of the East court. Four individual photos edited and stitched. 35mm lens.
December 2011
Stourhead.
This was a cold day with an early morning frost and icy gusts of wind. However the light was wonderful, constantly changing from bright sunshine to dark and moody. This shot was taken very quickly from the lakeside at a point that normally wouldn't cause me to pause. Taken on a standard zoom lens at 16mm (24mm, in 35mm equivalent).
December 2011
Killerton house built in 1778. Garden was created in the 1770s by John Veitch.
Killerton near Exeter in Devon. Arboretum on the slopes behind the house includes several Sequoiadendron introduced to the UK in the 1850's. Many notable trees including conifers, cork oaks, Magnolias and Rhododendrons. The garden also features the famous Bear House and fine views of the Devon countryside. This photo is 3 shots merged in photoshop.
November 2011
Grass bridge at Stourhead.
Stourhead gardens were designed by Henry Hoare II in the 1740s. This world famous garden features a lake surrounded by temples, grottoes and rare and exotic trees. Taken on a standard zoom lens at 30mm, 1/6 sec at f14. The light levels were quite low.