When I set up this blog, it was for a number of reasons. I tutor two gardening groups, and most of us, it has to be said, aren’t as young as we used to be. And some of us aren’t as au fait with technology as we might be. That includes me, because most of the time I’m hanging on by my fingernails. Still, most of us (except me), have these phone thingies that do everything except make your toast in the morning, and will certainly take photographs.
Taking photographs of gardens, and things in the garden, gives you a different perspective, and I hoped that was one thing that would happen, if group members started taking photos for the blog. I also hoped that it would introduce people to the online communities of other gardeners, as well as helping members explore parts of their technology that they hadn’t so far reached.
Today’s entry is a celebration of that last part.
The member who has sent me today’s images loves photography, but has struggled to reduce the file size to make pictures more e-mailable. We’ve cracked that (thanks to Windows Paint – the old version, not the 3D one, which seems to me to have no redeeming features), so here are some of his images.
They are a retrospective of a garden visit in the Spring of this year, and, as we come up to the Winter Solstice, a foretaste of what waits for us on the other side.
The pictures are from Caerhays, with wonderful, informal woodland gardens. The gardens were begun by JC Williams, who sponsored Ernest Wilson and George Forrest on their plant hunting expeditions to China. It has wonderful collections, including a National Collection of Magnolias.
Camellia
Magnolia
Magnolia
Rhododendron
Tulip
Narcissus ‘Berlin’
At least I can identify the Narcissus with some confidence, since I’ve got it myself, and it’s very distinctive!
So, in the deepest, darkest depths of winter, we’ve got these spring beauties to look forward to.
The Pleasure Gardener 
Lovely cheerful images thank you 😊
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Thanks, Glynis!
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Embarrassingly, I can not identify any of the cultivars, and we grew all but tulip and narcissus. Rhododendrons were our main crop.
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I find that once a plant is removed from its label, it’s really hard to be certain of a cultivar name. It must have been lovely when your rhododendrons were flowering – they are so showy!
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I used to recognize many of the more common of the rhododendrons that we grew without labels. They were all rather distinctive, so did not require labeling until they left. The more obscure cultivars that we did not sell much of were labeled. It is not so simple in landscapes, especially in regions where unfamiliar cultivars are more common. The farm is spectacular in bloom, but before the annual Open House, only those of us who work there saw it. We were not as impressed as the guests. Rhododendrons in the landscapes at work are also spectacular, but on a smaller scale. I really like showing them off though, as if I grew them. (Actually, I remember delivering some of those that were more recently added.) We really do not do much to them. I groomed them after bloom last year, and gave them fertilizer a few times. Otherwise, they grow wild.
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