• Home
  • About & Copyright.
  • Photography.
    • Mug shots.
    • Hedge Fund.
  • The Garden.
    • The Garden Team.
  • Visiting the Garden.
  • My Garden Presentations.
  • Wildlife.
  • Feed the Birds.
  • My Music.

brimfields.com

~ Gardening, Photography & Music. The Life of Brian.

brimfields.com

Monthly Archives: January 2018

The Birds and the Bees…

28 Sunday Jan 2018

Posted by Brian Skeys in Gardening, Our Garden@19, Photography, Plantlife, Wildlife

≈ 31 Comments

Tags

Bees, clematis, Galanthus, Hamamelis, Hedra, Hellebore, Ilex, Mahonia, Myrtle, Plants, Prunus serrula, Sarcococca, Skimmia, Thuja, tulips, Vinca, Wildlife

Today (Friday) was the first day of sunshine here and after too many days of rain, it does bring a song into your heart.

I ventured out into the garden to finish pruning the climbing roses, before I began, I decided to do a tour with the camera. The gardener’s friend, was as usual, keeping an eye on me while providing his own welcome tune.

IMG_2894

The Mohonia in full flower, with the sunshine, brought the honey bees out from their hives.

IMG_2947

Mahonia Bealii

IMG_2944

They were also visiting the Clematis which scrambles all over it.

IMG_2950

Clematis cirrhosa balearica

The Flowers and the Trees.

By the front door there are pots planted up for a seasonal display with Carex, Ferns, Cornus stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’,  Erica x darleyensis ‘Phoebe’, Thuja ‘Goldy and the…

IMG_2918
IMG_2909
IMG_2913

 

…Snowdrop elwesii…

IMG_2919

Galanthus elwesii

…and a hellebore.

IMG_2917

Another pot contains the Sarcococca ‘Winter Gem’.

IMG_2915

Sarcococca ‘Winter Gem’

On the other side of the door an Euonymus is trained against the wall with Sarcococca confusa in front…

IMG_2912

Sarcococca confusa

…the powerful scent from the Sacococca ( Christmas Box) fills the house every time the door is opened.

IMG_2921

Sarcococca confusa with Euonymus Emerald & Gold

In the Oriental garden the Hamamelis is in full flower, I have mentioned before I would not recommend this variety, because it holds on to its dead leaves. I removed them all before taking this picture.

IMG_2922

Hamamelis Moll Pallida (Witch Hazel)

The sunshine was highlighting the Erica ‘Albert’s Gold’ by the entrance to the White and Green garden and the standard variegated Holly, Ilex ‘Argentea Margenata’ at the back.

IMG_2927

Around  the Holly are planters with variegated Myrtle, Tulips just starting to show and Vinca minor ‘Alba’

IMG_2875_001

Ilex aquifolium ‘Argentea Margenata’ & Myrtus Communis Variegata

The snowdrops are beginning to open around the garden, especially where the sun reaches…

IMG_2930

Galanthus nivalis

…the common double, which was given to me by a friend, are clumping up well, ready to divide later on…

IMG_2934

Galanthus ‘Flore Pleno’.

…as is the winter aconite, although more slowly.

Winter Aconite

Eranthus hyemalis

The Prunus Serrula always looks wonderful with the sunlight on its bark, its mug decorations ( Mug Tree) have so far survived the winter.

IMG_2938

Prunus serrula

Around its roots is a Skimmia and variegated Ivy. Many gardeners fear ivy in the garden, I like to see it, the variegated forms are not so vigorous, while providing some colour to lighten a dark area of the garden along with being good for wildlife.

IMG_2936

Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ & Variegated Hedra.

It is easy to ignore plants such as Skimmia when everything else is in full flower, however at this time of year they make a welcome contribution to the garden and this one below is a little more unusual than most.

IMG_2871_001

Skimmia Hermaphrodite

The House Sparrows are gathering in the top of a Viburnum before diving down on to the ground feeders.

Version 2

What ‘Birds and Bees, Flowers and Trees’ are making you sing in your garden?

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday 24/1/18 ‘Mrs Thompson’ @ Oxford Botanical Gardens.

24 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by Brian Skeys in Gardening, General Interest, Photography, Plantlife

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Botanic gardens, Galanthus, Snowdrops, Wordless Wednesday

Galanthus

Galanthus ‘Mrs Thompson’.

Oxford Botanic Gardens.

07 Sunday Jan 2018

Posted by Brian Skeys in Gardening, Photography, Plantlife

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

Botanic gardens, Garden visiting, Plants

We enjoy visiting gardens, it usually features in any holiday plans, besides giving pleasure they provide material for the blog and my garden presentations. In March 2017 we visited Oxford University Botanic Gardens.

Oxford Botanic Gardens

Oxford University Botanic Garden.

The river Cherwell runs along the one side.

IMG_0920Growing on the bank is this lovely multi stemed silver birch.

IMG_0919

The garden was founded in 1621 making it the oldest Botanic Garden in Britain. It was originally founded to grow plants to support the teaching of medicine at the University, something that still continues today. Beneath the Parrotia Persica tree spring bulbs were in flower also in the distance a Cornus mas.

IMG_1023Almost everything growing here is classified whether it be by botanical family, geographical origin or by its use.   The family borders are planted to demonstrate which plants are related to each other. This Salix ‘Britzensis’ is in one of those borders, we have this willow in our garden. It has also been planted along side the river at Upton upon Severn a town close to us, in the Mathew Wilson designed borders. It looks particularly good alongside a pool, reflecting in the water, providing brilliant winter colour, hence its name.

IMG_1032

Within the wall borders they grow plants from different regions New Zealand, the Mediterranean and South Africa.

Going down to the Lower Garden, you pass the Rock Garden, first built in 1926.

IMG_1047

Plants that changed the world feature in the four allotment style beds in the Lower Garden. This one, for some reason cought my eye!

IMG_1053

The Lower Garden has been redeveloped since 2009 by Kim Wilkie Associates to more reflect its role as a Botanic Garden.

IMG_1054

There has been a glass house here for over 300 years. today there are more than 700 square metres of glasshouses.

The Palm House.

This is home to mainly crop plants, such as Banana, Pineapple and the Pink Banana, Musa Velutina, a species of seeded banana.

Banana.
Banana.
Pineapple
Pineapple
Musa Valutiina.
Musa Valutiina.

The lily House.

Here their giant Victoria Water Lily, takes pride of place the leaves of which you can see in the front of this picture.

IMG_0936This is a tropical water lily, its date of origin is prior to 1856. It is described as highly viviparous, in that its seeds begin to develop before they detach from the plant.

Oxford Botanic Garden.

Nymphaea x daubenyana

The Arid House.

Is home to their collection of cacti and succulent.

IMG_1017

Alongside the three main glasshouses are three smaller ones.

The Alpine House uses a traditional plunge sand bed to display the plants.

IMG_0956

Lithodora Zahnii,at first glance looks like rosemary, it is a member of the borage family.

The Fern house is devoted to displaying the many different forms of this group.                  I do like the look of Staghorn ferns or Elkhorn ferns, there are 18 species in this family.

IMG_0953

Platycerium.

The Insectivorous House is home to the insect eating plants.

IMG_0938

Pitcher plant.

Throughout the glasshouses and the connecting passageways, there were many interesting plants, a few examples are in the slide show.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

IMG_0908

I hope you have enjoyed visiting the Oxford Botanic Gardens, if you have the chance to visit for real please do. There is also the Harcourt Arboretum.

Do you have a Botanic Garden you enjoy visiting?

← Older posts

National Gardens Scheme Link.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 465 other followers

Follow brimfields.com on WordPress.com

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Google+
  • WordPress.org

Blogs I Follow.

  • A coastal Plot
  • A French Garden
  • elizawaters.com
  • Frogenddweller
  • Gardening Jules
  • Green Tapestry
  • Hillwards
  • Karen Gimson
  • Life in mud splattered boots
  • No Dig Charles Downing. The organic no dig Gardener.
  • Off The Edge Gardening.
  • Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments
  • pbmgarden
  • Pirus Tabernus
  • Rambling in the garden
  • Rusty Duck
  • Smallsunnygarden
  • The Anxious Gardener
  • The Blooming Garden
  • The Chatty Gardener
  • The Garden Barn House
  • The Gardening Shoe
  • wordsandherbs

Favourite web sites.

  • Black Pear Gardening Club. A Worcestershire based club sharing a love of gardening.
  • Douglas Gregor Photos Wonderful wildlife photography.
  • Hardy Plant Society
  • NGS The garden charity.
  • No Dig Charles Downing. The organic no dig Gardener.

Categories

  • Garden visiting
  • Gardening
  • General Interest
  • Guest publisher
  • Landscapes
  • Our Garden@19
  • Photography
  • Plantlife
  • The Bark Collection
  • The Life of Brian.
  • Travel
  • Treelife
  • Uncategorized
  • Wildlife

Map

Hanley Swan, Worcestershire. UK

Blog Stats

  • 17,378 hits

Recent Comments

tonytomeo on Garden visiting…..rememb…
carolee on Garden visiting…..rememb…
afrenchgarden on Garden visiting…..rememb…
Cathy on Garden visiting…..rememb…
Brian Skeys on Garden visiting…..rememb…
Eliza Waters on Garden visiting…..rememb…
Jill Briggs on Garden visiting…..rememb…
afrenchgarden on A seasonal delight – in…
Noelle M on A seasonal delight – in…
Brian Skeys on A seasonal delight – in…
Eliza Waters on A seasonal delight – in…
Brian Skeys on Happy New Year.
Cathy on Happy New Year.
rusty duck on Happy New Year.
Brian Skeys on Happy New Year.

Archives

  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • November 2016
  • May 2016
  • February 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015

"Every Day is a School Day"

Translate

Website Powered by WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Our Cookie Policy