First of all I would like to talk about photographing crocus, snowdrops or any small flower which only stands about 3 inches high. I have puzzled as to which is the best way to do it, either standing. but then you just get a view from above or crouched down which is difficult when you have hips and knees like mine!
From above, standing.
Just a little one this time.
Years ago, when we first visited East Lambrook Manor in Somerset at this time of year, I was overwhelmed by the sight of hundreds of Crocus tommasinianus spreading in the grass under a variegated Sycamore tree.I thought at the time, I would like to do that one day, without the sycamore tree, and at last that day has come.
I bought myself a couple of packets of C.tommasinianus corms and threw the corms onto the back lawn which gets a lot of sun at this time of year.
The new path that we have made in the woodland now means that I have doubled the space to plant in! I don’t know why it has taken me nearly 30 yrs to do this, I really wish I had done it a long time ago and just hope that I live here long enough to get the benefit of it.
The new path from the left hand side, this end of the path is very wet, so I’m thinking more fritillaries and candelabra primulas, as well as more snowdrops in the drier bits. The green clump is Leucojum aestivum which is just starting to flower, I think I could split this clump.
After our blip of snow and ice a couple of weeks ago, it is so wonderful at the moment to have the sun shining each day and temperatures about 5 or 6 degrees warmer. Wandering around the garden yesterday, without a coat, to take my photos was a pleasure. The birds were singing, the sky was blue and there were lots of flowers to enjoy. Come with me and see what I found.
Starting by the back door, Iris reticulata are flowering in the baby bath that was used for me when I was tiny!
Ladies from the village WI. came for coffee, cake and biscuits yesterday, they also came to have a wander round the garden to see the snowdrops and other lovlies that are flowering at the moment. The weather behaved itself with just one little shower which wasn’t a problem, the rest of the time it was nice and sunny.
Why didn’t I put the empty pot away!
The snow has finally all gone, today the sun was shing and the sky a beautiful blue! At last I could get out and check on all my lovely winter flowers, no coat needed as it was nicely warm and even the bees were out buzzing and looking for pollen and nectar.
A nice clump of snowdrops without a label, I’m sure it had one originally, by the back door.
On one hand, we didn’t have as much snow as had been forecast, which is good, but we had enough to make driving a bit of a worry, it was very icy under the snow. Getting out of my little road and up the hill out of the village was a bit hairy, but once on the main road, everything was fine until I met a tree, half way across the road. Everyone was very gingerly driving round it, I gave way to an oncoming car, just as well, it was a police car! By the time I came home, one and a half hours later, the tree had gone. My first few photos were taken at 7 am when normally it is still dark outside.
L.ooking across the fields from the landing
I had thought that I would be photographing my little early flowers for the end of January, but Nature had other ideas. When I drew the curtains back this morning, everything was white, we had a sprinkling of snow overnight, but I don’t think it will last very long. This is when the evergreens take centre stage, they look so lovely with a sprikling of snow.
Starting with the front drive, the box cubes take on extra importance.
I spent an hour yesterday morning sitting in the kitchen watching all the birds coming to the feeders just outside the window, making a note as to how many I saw of each variety at any one time. This weekend is marked as the Great British Birdwatch weekend. I’m so glad I did my count yesterday as the weather was calm and just a bit dull in the morning, today we have a howling gale which is rattling all the roof tiles and I think all the birds might stay safely tucked up in bed if they have any sense!
The first to come was a bluetit, one of our most common birds in the garden here.
I bought a Hippeastrum, or Amaryllis, bulb in a box, from the garden centre, in fact I bought three, one for me, one for my daughter and one for my son, to give to them when I saw them at Christmas along with various other things. We are all having a wonderful time watching our flower stalks growing, photographing them and sending the photos to each other. I started mine off in mid December and it is just now that the first flower is fully open, patience is a virtue!
For a long time, mine just grew and grew, it ended up nearly 3 ft tall.
Deb's Garden Blog – Journal
Diary of a Suburban Gardener