The continued erratic weather patterns are still giving us surprises; I found this flowering currant in bloom just today. It seems that in winter these days, we aren’t left entirely without flowers, even though there are sometimes very few. I have a few dianthus blooms and winter pansies braving the cold!
Witch hazel, or hamamelis mollis is one of the lovely shrubs that flower in winter. This one is in my dad’s garden; the flowers have a characteristic sweet scent. A very cheering sight on a dull winter day, and actually quite easy to grow.
I didn’t expect to be posting any more pictures like this, this year, but I found this last solitary bloom in my father’s garden, just a day or two ago. I never tire of indigo and magenta, somehow. I made it look like summer was leaving with quiet dignity.
This picture was taken a day or two back, once again in my father’s garden. I like roses to be like this; you’ll notice these blooms aren’t perfect, according to the commercial notion of perfection. But they seem to just shout nature and floral beauty, and they have a delicate, but very present, scent. Only yesterday, I saw roses for sale, that had no scent, and looked almost artificial!
I took this photo only yesterday. It seems to show how I was feeling; it’s as if summer is already flying by. For many schoolchildren, the holidays have only just begun, yet many flowers are almost over. Thankfully, there are more following! The ‘bell’ of this campanula flower seems to be looking outwards at the two seed-heads. But hopefully there are still many good things to come.
OK… My usual theme, but with a variation: to find pretty patterns that repeat, you don’t have to go to a colouring book. They occur all around us! I took this picture of a hebe plant in full bloom just this morning. Nature got there before pop-art, yes?
Walking down a lane today after visiting a friend, I noticed several lovely flowers, including this one. I always love honeysuckle; its scent and colours are amazing. But what I loved this time especially, was the sheer concentration of shapes and lines in this view. After a busy afternoon, I enjoyed just stopping to observe something that was completely natural.
This early, beautifully-scented rose came into flower in my dad’s garden last week. It’s called ‘Maigold’ and flowers prolifically in late spring and early summer, then still has a few blooms later on.
Judging by most cut roses on sale in shops, if you want roses with any significant scent, these days, you need to grow your own!
Edit, Monday, 23 May 2016:
I’m also linking this to:
I loved finding this in flower, this week. There are, of course, countless varieties of saxifrage, and signs of real spring are always welcome. Many varieties grow wild, but equally, a lot are also cultivated as garden flowers.
Although I’ve already seen a good few daffodils about, these are the first fully open tete-a-tete ones in my garden. Maybe spring is nearly here!
