Celebrating gardens, photography and a creative life
A gently fading hydrangea provides food and temporary cover for a butterfly which is camouflaged against it. Butterflies give themselves away by fluttering, which is no doubt what drew me to this one. Continue reading “January Squares: Butterfly Alights”
While visiting the flower shows this year, I was drawn to a colour thread represented by the flowers I’m showing here. I’d filed the pictures as Clarets thinking ‘Anyone for claret?’ would be a good post title, but reluctantly concluded that claret was stretching things too far…
though not quite so far as the liberties taken in naming this ‘New Vintage Violet’…
or this ‘Dark Angel Violet’. Plant names are a minefield at the best of times, even before you add colour into the mix. Continue reading “Name The Colour Of These Flowers”
Pink and blue hydrangeas on the edge of a cottage garden in the English Lake District encourage passers by to linger a moment to enjoy the view. Continue reading “Hydrangeas With A View”
My blog (like many others) is mostly a collection of ‘Ooh, shiny!’ moments. That’s Andrea’s term for “diversions, distractions and delightful detours”. Things that make me pause to pay more attention that I photograph and share, hoping you’ll be willing to pause for them too.
Like these hydrangea flowers. I’m not talking about the pink bits we think of as petals that are, technically, modified sepals, but the tiny blue flowers I hadn’t really noticed until they were pointed out. While the modified sepals (a catchy term – I can’t think why it never caught on) are long lasting, the small flowers only open briefly. Even more of a reason for us to miss them.
Lacecap hydrangeas, such as the star striped beauty below, have a cluster of small flowers in the middle, with a few more in the centre of the florets that seem to float on their outer edges.
Susan Rushton 