I’m not sure why these pictures seemed suitable for a solstice celebration. Perhaps it’s the mix of sunlight and shade. Perhaps the primulas’ centres remind me of the sun. Continue reading “Candelabra Primulas For The Summer Solstice”
RHS Harlow Carr: Candelabra Primulas, Blue Poppies And Other Treasures
Harlow Carr is no longer the Royal Horticulture Society’s only northern garden, and not the biggest, but has the benefit of an extra 70 years or so of continuous cultivation. Highlights for me include wonderful collections of primula and meconopsis, typically in flower around mid June to early July. The collections mingle in naturalistic drifts, their bold colours sparkling like jewels in their stream-side setting. Continue reading “RHS Harlow Carr: Candelabra Primulas, Blue Poppies And Other Treasures”
More Pictures For Dreaming
HeyJude’s challenge for June has been depth of field and so far I’ve been missing in action… or perhaps that should be missing in inaction. Notable only by my absence. That kind of thing. I’m not going to make excuses.
In my first scene, Harlow Carr Library has lovely rooflines against a clear blue sky. Lots of pink Rosa ‘Harlow Carr’ are proudly displayed on one side of a path leading to the building with purple accents provided by nepeta, lavender and salvia. Continue reading “More Pictures For Dreaming”
Trilliums At Harlow Carr Garden (Mainly)
These trilliums are from RHS Harlow Carr’s beautiful Spring woodland garden on the hillside behind the stone building used for exhibitions. It’s a little out of the way and I wonder how many visitors have discovered it – I only stumbled on it by mistake. It struck me as being fairly newly planted but if so, they’ve done a great job.
RHS gardens are rightly closed to help protect us, but of all the gardens that are out of reach, this is the one that calls me most plaintively. Continue reading “Trilliums At Harlow Carr Garden (Mainly)”
Flower Fantasia
You might claim this is just on the edge of too much – too bright, too packed, too flowery, if there is such a thing.
It’s the latest in my series of pictures for dreaming. You may need to rein in your imaginations to prevent your senses overloading, especially if you were thinking of adding in bees hovering and humming and birds flying overhead. Continue reading “Flower Fantasia”
From The Alpine House at Harlow Carr Gardens: Ten Tiny Treasures
The northernmost of the Royal Horticultural Society’s gardens, Harlow Carr, has so much to see that most repeat visitors must feel torn about where to go first. Not me – the Alpine House draws me in like a magnet. It’s show time there, whatever stage of the year. The gardeners tend a stock of plants behind the scenes, picking out tiny treasures when they are at, or around, their best for their turn in the Alpine house spotlight. This week our treats included several primulas, some flowering so madly that their leaves were hidden, others wearing their leaves with pride.
Some of the plants in the Alpine greenhouse are inside because they need protection from cold, wind or rain; others would grow outside just fine. Common species plants are treated as carefully as rare or special cultivars, all raised up on broad, sweeping benches so we can admire them at close quarters. Plants are grown in traditional clay pots, sunk into a mixture of sand and sharp grit to help keep the roots cool and stop them drying out too quickly. Continue reading “From The Alpine House at Harlow Carr Gardens: Ten Tiny Treasures”
Susan Rushton 