Tag: photography

A return to springtime remembering what life for us gardeners prior to this long dry period.

We attended the Cherry Tree Arboretum when it was open under the NGS flag in the autumn and absolutely loved it. We vowed to return whenever we could so when we read online that it would open once again we decided to pay it a return visit. We have seen it described as “The finest UK arboretum created in the second half of the last century.” We are beginning to think this might be correct! Thus we left home at magnolia time with much anticipation.

As soon as we parked the car we realised that magnolias were going to feature strongly on this visit. We don’t grow these in our garden much because they simply don’t fit in with our style of planting, but we enjoy seeing them in other gardens.

Only a few yards from the place where we parked up was a long deep border full of colourful magnolias, several in colours we had never seen them in before.

The set of photographs below can only give a glimpse of them – there were so many.

It was useful having these magnolias planted in short rows within the border because it meant we could walk in amongst them and get to appreciate them so close up. There were so many different colours and shades, so many different sizes and different flower structures.

But there is obviously much more to the arboretum than lots of magnolias and the clue is in the name, Cherry Tree Arboretum. So the next photo just has to be of cherry blossom. The pink looks so delicate against the pure blue sky, the glossy foliage shows touches of red and bronze.

I am not a big fan of rhododendrons but certain colours always catch my eye. This bright shade of purple was one such colour with contrasting white stamens and deeper coloured sight lines for bees to show them the way.

As we studied even more magnolias two fellow visitors told us about some very unusual coloured specimens nearby. When they pointed them out to us a little way further on we decided that it would be worth having a close up look. At that distance they looked almost red. The photos below show the blooms to be such a dark pink that they indeed looked red especially against the blue sky.

From the pinks of magnolias and prunus trees we walked along random paths of gravel, bark or grass as we discovered so many worthwhile trees and shrubs. This bright sunshine yellow tree paeony certainly deserved a close look.

Acers in abundance looked so exciting in the bright light.

Of course I had to look out for my favourite trees of all the betulas or birches. Another favourite tree is the malus in all its guises, so I was on the lookout for both and no arboretum could possibly be without them. This birch had impressively long catkins up to 5 or 6 inches in length.

Many birches have the added attraction of colourful peeling bark, which has the knack of catching the sunlight.

Malus family members, the crab apples can give us stunning foliage as well as blossom or even in some cases both.

Of course, with a collection of over 500 magnolias we came across plenty more very attractive examples as we wandered around.

Another great day out at Cherry Tree Arboretum which we feel may become a firm favourite.

The sharing of my Garden Journal 2025 for June sees the beginning of the second half of the year. June is the first month that is recognised as Summer by the Met Office. Following on from the earlier months this year, June gave us atypical weather, hot dry periods followed by a few days of non-stop rain.

I started my June journal entries by noting that, “Flowering trees and shrubs add so much to the June garden, including several viburnum and three calycanthus.”

On the opposite page I feature another shrub, the rose and shared photos of those that have come into flower early in June. I wrote, “June 1st is the first day of summer! The weather so far in 2025 tells us that we have already had a little summer. Roses have had another burst of flowering early in June even though some have been in flower since late April.”

Below are just some of the roses that appeared in early June

Over the page and we move on from roses to a completely different type of plant, the succulent family. I carried on by saying, “Now that our succulents have been settling outside for a few weeks and appreciating both sunshine and rain they are looking very healthy. Their foliage colours are now richer and shiny.”

Next I noted that, “By mid-June even more roses have started flowering throughout the borders. Many will still be performing through to the end of the year!”

So we now have even more portraits of roses to enjoy.

Every month I look at some of the gardening tasks we set ourselves to get done. I don’t like calling them ‘tasks’ really because mostly we enjoy doing them but it does sound a little better than ‘jobs’. There must be a better word or phrase surely?

This is what I wrote to introduce the page of photos. “June is such a busy month in the garden with lots of deadheading to keep up with and another area to revamp. It is also the month when we replant the three welcome boxes on the end of our drive as shown in the top line of photos below.”

The set of photos below show us heads down getting busy in the garden.

Our garden wildlife features on the penultimate page of my June journal entries, where I wrote that, “Wildlife features strongly in the June garden, but all sorts of bees seem to be in short supply this year. Ladybirds have come to the fore after a slow start this summer and alongside their larvae they are voracious predators of aphids whatever colour they come in. Young blue tits join them seeking out especially green aphids off our rose flower buds and soft stems.”

The three photos below show a hoverfly, redcurrants for blackbirds and blackcaps and a 5-spot yellow ladybird.

Below we have a moth pupa and a Scarlet Tiger Moth.

The two photos below show a ladybird larva and caterpillars on silk threads.

For the last page on this month’s journal we look at a selection of our many hardy geranium. Here I noted that, “Now is the time when the garden shows off its perennials and one of the most colourful being the hardy geranium. We grow so many of them, from white to pink to blue and every hue in between. Some also have shades of purple, mixing pinks and reds.”

That is it for my June garden journal. We will be back at the end of July.

So it is time for me to share my garden journal with you, my 5th month of the year.

Roses dominated the start of May and I noted that,”In the countryside around us May means Hawthorn blossom, hedges edged with cow parsley, birds singing and nest building. In the garden things are pretty much the same. Our first roses show early in the month. This year though a couple flowered late April.”

From roses I next considered the colour white in the garden where I wrote,”White has never been my favourite flower colour and I have never found a white garden or border that I could appreciate. The most famous white garden of all must be the one at Sissinghurst, but I found it a great disappointment. However as I wandered around our patch recently I realised we had a lot of white!”

On the opposite page I moved on to consider some of my collection of succulents which had decided to come into flower this month. Their flowers are always so unusual in shape and colour. I wrote that “Being a collector of succulents I mostly enjoy their foliage, their shapes, colours, textures and the way many are flushed with reds and purples. But many flower and do so beautifully.”

Below are photos of my succulents that are currently flowering.

Irises are the next family of plants that feature in my May entries. Before sharing some photographs, I noted that, “The two main iris groups flowering in our garden at the moment are Bearded Iris and Iris sibirica, both have complex flower structures but differ greatly in size.”

I always find space in each month’s entries to include showing the gardening tasks we have been working on. May is no exception. I wrote, “The first half of May was a summery surprise with clear blue skies and high temperatures in the low twenties. It gave us freedom to enjoy pottering in the garden without rain.”

“We frequently mow the grassed areas now. Time to put up the traps in our fruit trees came suddenly.”

We have been adding a few plants in the “Chicken Garden” and while there Jude re-oiled our old railway station bench.”

I finished revamping my succulent containers and trimmed the Lonicera nitida “Bagginson’s Gold”.

Over the page on the left hand I shared a a sketch of a twig which the wind blew from a aesculus (chestnut) tree. I have recently read a book where the author had completed quick sketches of weeds she passed while on the walk each day taking the children to school, wandering through the path and other very local places she used regularly. So I decided I would try a quick sketch of the twig allowing myself 30 seconds to complete, not including the time studying it beforehand.

Wildlife was the subject of the following page. I wrote,“The wildlife in our garden remains very busy from the tiniest insect to the much larger birds. Nesting birds spend most of their time searching every nook and cranny for tasty morsels for their nestlings and partners sitting on eggs simply waiting for the slightest sound from inside the shells. It is good to see that small birds easily find enough food to feed their families without having to leave our garden. We feel proud of this.

We have three robins nesting, as well as wren, titmice, blackbirds, dunnock and probably some finches too.”

The first photo below shows an ichneumon wasp and the others show the different types of moth we caught in our live trap. The final trio of pictures shows the final moth photo, the trap and lastly a mating pair of Damsel flies inside the utility room.

For my final page for the month of May in our garden I look at the trees and shrubs that flower in our garden in that month.

I noted that, “Flowering trees and shrubs add so much to the May garden, including several viburnum and three different calycanthus”

So May came and went in the blink of an eye because we had so much going on in garden and our plants were performing so well.

See you soon when I report on our garden in June.

As neither of us are keen on rose gardens, preferring to see roses used as shrubs in mixed borders, we missed out the “Queen’s Mother’s Rose Garden” and the “Shrub Rose Garden”. As the Winter Garden had been redesigned by well-known garden designer Jo Thompson it was in the middle of a rebuild so we had to miss out that garden too.

Thus the first of the themed gardens we explored was the “Cool Garden” designed in 2019 by Jo Thompson and was based on imaginative use of water rills lined with granite setts with curved stone walls. The planting features grey foliage and blue, white and pastel flowers.

Sculptures of birdlife added liveliness and extra beauty to the Cool Garden. The wren added a strong contrast to the birds of prey.

We also enjoyed how the crisp white pieces featuring seabirds and a barn owl sat within the greenery.

It never ceases to amaze me how sympathetically sculpture fits into gardens. The RHS is very good at exhibiting sculptural pieces in their gardens and over the years we have enjoyed several.

The next garden room we entered was a strong contrast to “The Cool Garden” being “The Hot Garden”. The planting was so different as was the feel of the garden. It was a clever decision placing these two gardens next door to each other.

There was a strong contrast in the planting within “The Hot Garden” utilising stronger, brighter colours.

Another of the themed gardens here at Rosemoor that we have always enjoyed is the Cottage Garden, so I will share some photos of that area next. On the way to the cottage Garden we stopped to have a look at this lovely wildflower bank and these two strongly coloured, cheerful looking roses.

The Cottage Garden itself was full of interesting plant combinations and some old apple trees.

I will finish off looking at RHS Rosemoor with a gallery of photographs taken as we explored these wonderful, inspirational gardens.

We will be visiting other RHS gardens before too long and we know we will really appreciate the expertise of the staff and volunteers.