Susan Rushton

August 20, 2015December 28, 2018

Clematis florida Viennetta

This clematis was a head-turner of a plant. I felt like one of the paparazzi as I lined up with jostling amateur and professional photographers at a recent flower show for my chance to take its picture.

The attraction? Masses of white flowers with showy, fully double centres in shades of purple and green hanging gracefully from a compact vine. I captured these blooms open, in their best finery, but if you search online, you’ll discover a rather strange assortment of pictures. They’re testimony to the way the flower changes as it opens from a gawky youngster to something much more regal. Continue reading “Clematis florida Viennetta”

August 17, 2015December 28, 2018

Grasmere: an uplifting walk round the poet’s lake

During our visit to Grasmere yesterday, clouds lay low over rolling hills, but the greyness just added atmosphere to the water, hills, woods, dry stone walls, ferns and wildflowers along our way.

We’d stopped off here to walk around the lake: my idea of exercise! Our route took us past houses, lakeside businesses, farmland and woods before swinging down to the path around the shore. Continue reading “Grasmere: an uplifting walk round the poet’s lake”

August 13, 2015December 28, 2018

Desdemona – a new white English rose for 2015

I took my first picture of Rosa ‘Desdemona’ when I popped in to hug some dear friends working on the David Austin rose display at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Flower Show. Their new white English rose for 2015 was named to commemorate one of Shakespeare’s most independent, open-hearted and gentle heroines: an inspired choice!

Large fans were keeping the air circulating in the nearby Floristry Marquee to prevent the cut flowers wilting, but there was no such luxury in the Festival of Roses Marquee. The conditions were cruelly hot for humans to endure, but to my surprise, the roses appeared to relish being held captive inside a tent on the hottest July afternoon ever recorded in England. Continue reading “Desdemona – a new white English rose for 2015”

August 10, 2015December 28, 2018

In a Vase on Monday

I picked this small posy of flowers from Mum’s garden. She grows plants on heavy clay soil she’s worked hard to amend over the years. Her garden, shaded for part of the day, supports a selection of fruit, roses and other cottage garden flowers.

I overstuffed a tiny milk jug with flowers of the right scale to fit: ‘Harlow Carr’ roses, a sprig or two of lavender, two forms of geranium, bellis, viola and some campanula. I’ll never make a florist, but it looked (and smelled) sweet. I only needed to raid the back garden, leaving the fine foliage plants and shrubs at the front for another day.

As so often in a private garden, there’s a little story behind each plant. Some arrived as presents from family or friends: others were grown from seed or acquired on a trip to her favourite garden centre, Bents. Continue reading “In a Vase on Monday”

August 9, 2015December 28, 2018

Formby Point

I was planning to take a shot of wave rippled sand directly beneath my feet on the beach at Formby Point for this week’s photo challenge, but I could hardly ignore hazy sun reflected on the sea, a distant, misty headland and bathers preparing to retreat from the approaching tide. So they sneaked in too! Continue reading “Formby Point”

August 7, 2015December 28, 2018

Agave americana: monster plants

Yesterday’s post was a macro shot of a tiny bee on an allium: today I’m stepping back to get something much bigger in the frame.

If you love gardening, I hope you can find time to check out The Frustrated Gardener’s blog – he’s one of my firm favourites. Today he shared a post ‘Agave Aggravation’ with must-see pictures showing how an English glasshouse has been adapted to allow an Agave americana to flower.

It’s a giant, monocarpic plant: after several years it diverts all its energy into producing a spectacular flowering scape which is fertilized by humming birds. Afterwards it dies, leaving only its children to mark where it once thrived. The plant takes no chances, multiplying from small offsets that form around the base and from thousands of cross-pollinated seeds that bounce down from the sky. Continue reading “Agave americana: monster plants”

August 6, 2015December 28, 2018

A bee on a flower pillow

I wanted to share this picture of a bee exploring a mass of flowers at the recent RHS Tatton Flower Show. My iPhone shot isn’t perfect but I like the muted colours, the softness and the textures.

The bee may appear to be resting in this shot (we did see a large, intoxicated-seeming bee sleeping in a striped rose) but it was far from the ideal model, intently waggling all over the alliums, making the usual incoherent bee satisfaction and interest noises. Continue reading “A bee on a flower pillow”