Easter Filled With the Scent of Hyacinths

All my good intentions to spend 4 days in the garden over Easter came to nought, as I had places to go and people to see plus it was so cold.
The sun popped its head out now and again but it did nothing to warm the air, so wrapped up with hat and fingerless gloves, I braved the cold and did some weeding before I was driven by the wind into the warmth of the house.
The kitchen was the place to be with the heady scent of hyacinths filling the air from the vase on the table, a cup of hot chocolate in hand and of course the obligatory chocolate eggs - heavenly!

NGS Book Launch 2013

Last Thursday we made our  way though the traffic to the Southbank from Dorset to attend the launch of the NGS 2013 Yellow Book.This year they have chosen one of my images, from the couple of gardens I visited last year, Atheling Villas in Hampshire and the photograph above was taken the previous year when I visited Tanglefoot near Winchester.

Founded in 1927 the NGS has donated more that 22m to charities over the last 10 years and this year they will be giving 2.128m to nursing and caring charities raised from 3800 private gardens opening in England and Wales last year.

After the book launch we headed over to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich to see the Ansel Adams Exhibition Photography from the Mountains to the Sea.

I don't practise landscape photography, preferring the intimate perspective on life but it's a discipline I would love to learn. I love his photography and this quote from him...

"What I am trying to do in pictorial photography... is the representation of material things in the abstract or purely imaginative way."

To finish off our trip, we travelled across town to Notting Hill to pay a visit to Granger & Co restaurant.

I have been a big fan of Bill Granger for many years and intend one day to visit his restaurant in Sydney. This I still want to do but until that day, I was very happy with my meal in Notting Hill.

It's Been Too Long

It's almost a year to the day since my last post - what on earth have I been doing!

Well I spent most of last year organising a wedding, which was just fabulous. Going on honeymoon from LA to LA via some most amazing spectacles, including Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon, plus I am the photographer for a company and have my own photography business, so all in all, things were pretty hectic.

So now I am back on the case. Photographing plants which is my absolute passion and creating cards/notelets and prints from my images. More about that when I get organised.

Here are a few images, captured when we have snow at the beginning of the year.

Plant of the week - Ranunculus

For my plant of the week this week, I have chosen the Ranunculus.
The shape of this flower has an old-fashioned feel to it, a bit like a Peony, which is probably what attracts me to it.
My Ranunculus came as cut flowers but they are easy to grow from bulbs planted in the autumn and flowering in the spring.
They are definitely going on my list of must have plants to grow for next year.

                                                                         Ranunculus

NGS Yellow Book 2012

I received my advance copy of the National Garden Schemes Yellow Book for 2012, with a lovely note, thanking me for my photography contribution to the book. I was so busy last year, that I only got around to visiting two gardens open for the NGS and I am very delighted to say, that they used two photographs from the gardens I visited, Knitson in the Purbecks in Dorset and Tanglefoot near Winchester. Two absolutely beautiful gardens and well worth visiting this year. 2012 marks the 85th anniversary of the founding of the National Garden Scheme and last year they donated £2.6 million, to the caring charities they support; Macmilian Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Help the Hospices and Crossroads Care. I am very proud to support this very worthy cause by donating my garden photography, plus the absolute pleasure I get from visiting these garden, that I urge you to buy the book and get out and about visiting NGS gardens this year and visit these slices of heaven behind garden gates.                                                    Knitson Old Farmhouse, Corfe Castle, Wareham                                                                                                                 Tanglefoot Crawley,  Nr Winchester

Plant of the Week - Daphne

This week I have chosen the Daphne as my plant of the week, photographed on my visit to Harold Hilliers Arboretum in Hampshire.
It is said that Daphne is not the easiest plant to grow but I have grown it before and it was perfectly happy in semi-shade. I planted it by the front door, so when you entered the house, in the dark dismal days of February, you were hit with its sweet scent.
Daphnes don't like being moved, so if you are not sure if it will be happy where you want to plant it, put it in a pot.

                                                                         Daphne

I love the way the buds start out like little cerise hooves and open up to trumpets of white, tinged with pink.
If I had entered this photograph into a competition, it would have been marked down as one of the leaves is imperfect - well you tell me who is in perfect condition this time of year!

Plant of the week - Hamamelis

This week it's the turn of the Witch hazel with it's fabulous unusual flowers with the most evocative scent.

Harold Hilliers Arboretum in Hampshire, has them in shades of yellow and russet and I loved getting up close and personal with them, it was worth getting cold toes for.