Spotting flowers growing wild in the South East
A buttery yellow wildflower We have a community pond at the end of our road, and at this time of year its edges are a sea of yellow with celandine flowers. They seem to love the damp conditions, and the shade provided by a small stand of trees edging the footpath. The buttery yellow blooms,…
Pink pincushions of wildflowers Living near the seaside, I see a lot of sea pinks aka thrift. The cushions of foliage look very soft and comfy, and the compound flowers always seem so profuse. The wildflowers grow happily in the chalk cliffs at Seaford, unaffected by the strong winds and sea salt. Read more about…
Contrary to the impression possibly given by the title, I’m not particularly into auriculas! I did enjoy viewing this auricula theatre at Courson flower show near Paris last year with my friend Mercy. But personally, I prefer the more natural primulas, such as wild primroses, cowslips or oxslips. But it turns out I have a…
My garden in March I love to get out into the garden whenever the sun is shining, but I must admit I am rather a fair weather friend to my plants. It’s rare to see me gardening before the clocks change – I’m just not hardy enough! Photographing my garden flowers Even when the weather…
This wild flower heralds the coming of Spring The tricky thing about snowdrops for someone like me who is not a botanist, is distinguishing between native wildflowers and garden escapees. These extremely delicate examples of Galanthus were found a long way from any gardens, growing in rough grass about 5m from a road. The stems…
Viola flowers are a sweet Spring treat This lovely little flower face has a beautifully sweet fragrance and is blessedly common here in Sussex. They are often seen on grassy banks, but this one was photographed in flat rough grass by the side of the road. I love to crystallize and eat cultivated violets, which…
Two flowers spotted on a February walk along the Seven Sisters Belle Tout lighthouse is on the South coast of Sussex, just West of Eastbourne. As it was one of the first sunny days of the year, Mike and I decided to take the kids for a walk. We parked at Birling Gap and walked…
White balloon-like wildflowers Spotted in an open patch of long grass next to the footpath, this white flower has a bulbous calyx and flowers which are about 2cm across. The leaves are apparently prized as a vegetable in Spain.
I love the tiny blue flowers of speedwell Each short-lived flower is about 1cm across and sky blue in colour, with a few flowers per spike. There is a white centre, and it has prominent stamens. The flowers are so eyecatching among the fresh green grass. In the language of flowers it is associated with…
Britain has been beset by storms for what seems like weeks, and today was the first sunny day in a while. We live on the South Coast, and the world and his wife seemed to be on our local seafront today to catch some rays and assess the damage. The steps and breakwaters were covered…