Once again looking back to earlier this year, I continue on our journey around the wonderful Bodnant Gardens.
Leaving the Winter Gardens we then had to decide where to go next, which pathway to take and what route we could follow for the afternoon wanderings. We decided to make our way across the sloping area dotted with specimen trees, all worthy of a look. Once we started however we were thwarted by black rope barriers which closed off several of the pathways. We supposed this was to help worn pathways recover from too many feet passing over them when wet.
The grass was interspersed with lots of groups of different daffodils joined by the occasional celandines.
We next took a gravel pathway down a slope towards the stream at the bottom of the Dingle, where we stopped to look at red rhododendrons which had had lower stems pruned away to lift their heads and reveal their lower structure, their soul.
Our track took us along the valley side following the direction of the stream stopping to take shots of plants that took my fancy. It is still sad here to see the signs of the devastation to trees caused by those named storms we have come to know over the last few years.
We were fascinated by this rhodo shrub with its foliage arranged like a crowd of two toned green shuttlecocks. The green bracket fungi were too far down a steep slope for us to get a close up look at so I let the camera zoom in the best it could do.
Our stream led us to a small lake where we crossed the water to follow a track on the opposite side of the stream. Around the lake side was a curve of beautiful biscuit coloured hackenochloa.
The light was low and spotlighted this bright pink magnolia in bud, giving it a silver rim of light.
Magnolias featured along the path that we took back towards the house and the Pavilion cafe where coffee awaited.
Those cups of coffee, latte for me and capuccino for Jude finished off our visit well, but no doubt it won’t be long until we return.
greenbenchramblings 