Myosotis...

These are such tiny little flowers but they have such a big impact. Forget-me-not or scorpion grass as they are also known flower between April and July so these were early bloomers and added a lovely splash of blue to the woodland garden. With the sunlight on them the petals almost sparkle. They really are little gems.

The name Myosotis comes from a Greek word which translates as "mouse ear" and relates to the shape of the leaves rather than reference to the flower itself.

Azalea

 I am not really a fan of Azalea or Rhododendrons but they do bring colour to early spring gardens and I like this shot of a single flower.

The petals have a tissue like texture and the delicate tendrils that draw in the bees and other pollinators are really quite beautiful. 

Spring Sunshine

 

There were masses of daffodils forming a golden carpet through the woodland garden. It was really beautiful but getting down to flower level and focusing on an individual bloom really shows the flower off at its best. It looks especially good because it is backlit by the sun and it brings a warm glow.

Pink, White & Blue

Canon 100mm f 1:2.8

ISO 100   f/3,5   1/160 sec

ISO 100  f/3.5   1/100 sec

ISO 100  f/3.5  1/200 sec

So actually it is blue, pink and white but I don't think it matters what order I list them they're all really beautiful, but I think they're in my order of preference. 

I hope you like them too.

I really like this time of year when there is so much new life and vibrant colour in our gardens. It helps put the cold and dreary winter months to the back of my mind and I can look forward to the warmer months which offer more opportunities to get outdoors.

Forget Me Not

Canon 100mm f 1:2.8

ISO 100    f/4.5   1/100 sec

ISO 100   f/3.5    1/100 sec

I had gone to photograph the bluebells at Burton Mere and as it was a beautifully sunny morning the prospect of capturing some great images filled me with hope as I set off.

Before I got to the main show of bluebells however I spotted a magnificent spread of Forget Me Not's and so I stopped to get a few shots. They really are such beautifully delicate flowers and they make a nice display in the dappled  early morning sunlight.

Blue Glory

Canon 100 1:2.8  ISO125   f/3.5  1/160sec

When I spotted these beautiful blue flowers I thought they were Turkish Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa) a flower I have photographed before however I am not so sure.

The central element of Glory of the Snow is white with yellow stamen but here you can see the centre is grey with a blue tip. 

I have tried to identify them but I just can't be certain. Whatever they are they're really lovely and a nice splash of colour to show that spring is definitely here. I had to get dirty getting right down to snap these shots but I think it was worth it.

Forget Me Not

I didn't post anything yesterday as I was feeling out of sorts and couldn't really get motivated to choose a picture to share. I'm still not feeling great but I didn't want to let another day go by in case I fall into a bad habit.

I wanted to share something bright and colourful and something that tells us spring is here, and something that will lift my spirits and hopefully yours too. 

These beautiful Forget Me Nots were captured on my recent visit to the walled garden at Royden Park. I hadn't noticed until I posted the image that the central nodes around the centre of the middle flower are white whereas those on the other flowers in this shot are all yellow.

Bluebells all the way

When I visited Skomer I wasn't expecting to see acres of bluebells in full bloom but that is what I saw and so I'm sharing a couple of shots taken with my phone.

Visiting Skomer was something of a bucket list activity for me and soon I will share some pictures of the real stars of the island but for now these shots area taste of wild beauty.

It's Bluebell Time

I really really love Bluebells. I have some very happy memories of walking in Bluebell woods in Kent with my parents many years ago and I love to see a massive spread when the flowers are in their prime. 

When I was at Ness Gardens recently there were only odd patches of them so I couldn't get a nice shot of a big spread so if that's what you like as well then have a look at this link which is a great picture of bluebells near Preston (and if you like that picture have a look at some of the other pictures of flowers by the same photographer, they're really very good).

For these shots I got right down to ground level and risked getting stung by the emerging nettles but it was worth the risk because I think they're great shots.

Prima Rosa

I could have called today's blog "Serendipity" or "Perfect Timing" but instead chose the Latin name for these lovely native wild flowers. Apparently today (April 19th) is Primrose Day.

I had no idea when I selected the pictures but doing a little bit of research I discovered that today is the anniversary of the death of the British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and these were his favourite flowers. It is reputed that Queen Victoria regularly sent him bunches of Primroses and now each year n the anniversary of his death bunches or primroses are laid at his statue in Westminster Abbey. So purely by chance the pictures are a fitting post for this particular day.

Tempting Yellows

I love getting up close to flowers because there is always so much to see.

As you can see from today's selection;  it's not just the vibrant colours. There's also the  texture of the petals, the intricate pattern of veins and the delicate structure of the stamen with the light dusting of pollen

New Blooms

A few more blooms from Bodnant today, the first picture I love, showing the delicate new tendrils of Clematis with the fine downy fur covering the new shoots, giving the promise of fresh green leaves and abundant beautiful flowers.

The next two shots are of different varieties of Primula, both were growing in the shade of larger shrubs. I love the central yellow star at the centre of these lovely woodland flowers but I particularly love the delicate heart shaped petals.

For those who have seen my blog in the past the flower in the final image needs no introduction but for newcomers I can tell you it is Turkish Glory of the Snow, I first saw this in the gardens at Chirk Castle and I posted some pictures about three weeks ago, why not go back and have a look and compare them and see which you prefer.

The Heart of the Flower

It's cold outside and snow is promised for parts of the UK this coming weekend so I thought I would post something bright and colourful.

All of the above pictures were taken in the gardens at Powis Castle in April

Not the Hanging Gardens...

Another large helping of photos for today, these are from Powis Castle and gardens.  One of the main notable features of the gardens are the well manicured topiary. As you can see they are sculpted into fairly random shapes and they are impressive in scale and size.

At this time of year there is a good display of Magnolia and as can be seen in the last picture lots of grape hyacinth.  The cottage in the final picture can be rented as a holiday home, it looks like a lovely place but if you were staying there you would have to put up with the castle visitors during the day.  Of course in the evening after the visitors have gone you would have uninterrupted access to the gardens.

I really like the sixth picture looking out from the orangery, it was a cool place to rest for a while and I like the view.  I also like the shot of the arch and its' shadow, I can imagine how beautiful it will look later in the summer when it is in full bloom, perhaps I will go back to get some pictures then.

Around Town

More from Amsterdam today...

The city is known for many things, one them being the number of bicycles. Just outside of Amsterdam's Central train station there is this massive multi-storey cycle park and just outside that there are thousands of other cycles crammed into a small space.  If you have ever had trouble finding your car in a car park imagine how easy it would be to lose your bike amongst this lot!

With the arrival of spring the city is becoming more colourful as the window boxes and planters on the bridges come to life.  I like the third of today's pictures because it feels fresh and is full of colour.

Many of the bridges have names and I thought the fourth picture was interesting as an example of this.  Seeing this now reminds me of something which happened in Venice. As my son and I were walking across one of the many small canals a couple passed us, the woman said to her partner "I wonder what this bridge is called" to which he testily replied "It's the bridge of wherever the hell we are!!!" We laughed about that and I guess if they had been in Amsterdam they would have always known where they were.

The final picture shows one of the canals at night, with house boats lining each bank and a team of rowers out for some evening exercise, something that I guess you won't see very often.