PINKY STAR

The starburst petals of Geranium x oxonianum Thurstonianum are unusual and quite discreet amongst mounds of green foliage but are pretty nonetheless.

SAMBUCUS NIGRA ‘GUINCHO PURPLE’

This is the pink tinged flower cluster from one of my elder trees (elderberry), Sambucus nigra ‘Guincho Purple’. The leaves of the tree are a dark purple/green when planted in good light which is reflected in the pinky flowers, whereas the native elder has creamy white flower clusters.

MOCK ORANGE

This is a simple flower from a Mock Orange shrub – Phiadelphus aurea.  This shrub is mainly grown for its bright golden/green leaves yet I find that the wonderful perfume from the flowers fills the garden on most days. In fact, I find it has a better scent than the more popular and supposedly better varieties.

RAINDROPS ON GREEN

There has been quite a lot of rain in the last few days, and the new green leaves of the Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s Mantle) with its fine downy hairs catch the raindrops and hold onto them long after other plants have shed theirs.

CACTUS STAR

There is something very magical when a cactus comes into flower. It is hard to believe that the beautiful starry, brightly coloured flowers can come from such small plant.

GERANIUM ‘MAYFLOWER’

This is one of the early flowering Geraniums, Mayflower, a lovely soft blue with a pale eye.

AQUILEGIA CANADENSIS

I have a number of Aquilegia’s in my garden, but this is one that I particularly like (Aquilegia Canadensis) as it looks so much more delicate than its more robust cousins.

BEARDED IRIS

A close-up shot of a Bearded Iris – Iris germanica – showing clearly why it is so named.

FERN FROND

A slowly unfurling fern frond looking soft, furry and sort of alien.

BLUE BELL

A single blue bell from, naturally, a bluebell.