Author: Robyn DrinkwaterPage 18 of 33

Spring wedding week

Exochorda x macrantha a garden hybrid between E. korolkowii and E. racemosa introduced c. 1900. At this time of year the leafy growth is covered in racemes of…

Perfect petals

Rhododendron campanulatum ssp. campanulatum is found throughout the Himalayas. Seeds were collected in Nepal from a collection made at c. 3500 metres. This seed has grown into a…

Colour in the copse

The path leading into the copse from the south is the most colourful approach to this area of the garden. The mass of of yellow with a comparable…

Three stunners to herald spring

Pulsatilla turczaninovii is a native to the grassy slopes of E & N Asia into Siberia. It is a herbaceous clump former amassed with flowers. The sepals a…

Truth serum

Scopolia carniolica var. carniolica a member of the Solanaceae family and found throughout Europe. Lush foliagesprouts rapidly from the rhizomes as soil temperature rises and days lengthen in…

Sweet scents from Slovenia

A late flowering, ground hugging evergreen member of the sweet scented genera Daphne; Daphne blagayana  is just now opening its spear shaped buds. Terminal sulphur yellow flower buds…

Sorbus caloneura

Early to leaf out; Sorbus caloneura is at its best as the winter buds burst and the fresh foliage expands. This wide branched small tree has deeply veined…

Rhododendron fever

It is evident spring has arrived and settled in when the Rhododendron collection rewards us with masses of colour. Many of the species are now blooming profusely through…

The Crocus are coming

At last; signs of spring in the Garden. Crocus vernus is in flower in the Alpine house. The “Spring Crocus” is a lilac shade of purple with prominent…

Subalpine Buttercup

Growing in the Middle Atlas mountains of Morocco at subalpine altitude; 2000 – 2500metres, Ranunculus calandrinoides demands a rocky free draining substrate where the roots can grow down…

A lesser known member of Hamamelidaceae

Sycopsis sinensis is an evergreen shrub in the family Hamamelidaceae. A native to central and western China where it grows as understory in evergreen forests on hillsides at…

White stemmed Rubus

These images are of one of the white stemmed brambles that are now more obvious in the border with no snow on the ground to dilute their colour…

A season to sneeze

Alnus japonica, a deciduous pyramidal tree, this specimen collected in 1987 by Warner and Howick during travels to Hokkaido Province, Japan. The parent plant was found growing at…

Banking on bloom

After the snow, there is the promise of colour to come. In the rock garden are specimens of a naturally occurring hybrid Rhododendron; Rhododendron charitopes ssp. tsangpoense x…

Picked to the bone

A cold winter puts strain on the food resources that the gardens’ bird population depends on. Capsules on the spent herbaceous flower stalks are one source of food…

Ilex pernyi

A small leaved Holly, introduced by E.H. Wilson from Sichuan province, China, during an expedition funded by the Arnold Arboretum. It grows amongst forests and woody cover in…

Fishbone fir

The image shows the shoot and branch framework exaggerated by snow cover. Abies alba, the “European Silver Fir” sprinkled with snow appears to have a fishbone structure. A…

Review of the year

The year opened with snow on the ground and saw a continuation of the longest unbroken freezing spell for several decades. The snow just continued to fall, blowing…

Season’s greetings

The shortest day dawns and we can hope the weather improves with increased day length. The country proverb that when the Holly is prolific with berries we will…

Low sun and silhouettes

With the snow still blanketing the land this is an ideal time to appreciate the silhouette of deciduous trees. At maturity the grandeur of forest trees dominates the…