Sunshine and rain

There’s been a fair bit of both recently here. Yesterday, full on rain. Today, full on sunshine. We had a day off today and so we made use of the sun beds, which when it was 35 degrees last week we didn’t get a chance to use, well there were plenty of chances, but we both would have melted.

The weather the past few days reminded me of our visit to Hyde Hall back in June (though I’m not sure how it was so far away as June!). That day we had all the weather the same day. I drove through, and as it turned out, ahead of torrential rain, experienced it when it caught us up followed by the most glorious sunshine.

But that also brought the opportunity for some raindrop pictures, and while the weather is forecast for extreme wind tomorrow (thanks Ellen), let’s first enjoy the raindrops on petals.

They’re exquisite. Nature is exquisite. I’m just glad that my iPhone was ready and able to capture them

The Rose Walk at RHS Hyde Hall

it was only last month that we went over to Hyde Hall over in Essex. At the time it felt very adventurous, and it’s still one of the few places we’ve visited which isn’t the local parade of shops or to see family. Even when we were in Sunny Hunny last weekend as we got to the front for a walk along the promenade, it was busy, busier than I expected (despite seeing the pictures of Bournemouth beach). I think though the Norfolk wether wasn’t helping, the rain was on its way and many people were heading back to their holiday rental.

But back to Hyde Hall. It rained that day too thinking about it. But not as we wandered through the Rose Walk in the upper garden.

The colours, and the scent especially was intoxicating.

And there was plenty to admire. Wildflowers sitting happily alongside these more peony varieties.

And a clematis or two too - just look at the colour of this one.

There were bushes with individual blooms, the one below is probably my favourite, even now looking back at my pictures.

But what amazed me was the multiple headed and clusters of roses in full flower. And more than double the scent.

I can smell them in my head now as I’m typing this post, at some point soon smelling some roses in real life would be most welcome!

The Echeveria Gallery at RHS Wisley

It seems like a lifetime ago since we visited RHS Wisley, but it was actually only six months. So much has happened across the world since then. I’ve not been as present on my blog as I usually am, but I’m hoping to be back here more often. Just a scroll through my unedited photos was enough to inspire me to start posting, and start editing photos again. I’m not sure if that’s coincidence that that coincides with a couple of days off, or something deeper.

I’m not sure if this is a permanent installation at Wisley, but I very much hope it is. The next time we’re there I’ll be heading to the hot houses (as usual) to check.

Either way when I saw these framed succulents, I knew they were right for today’s post. Before lockdown, I had plans to create my own frame of succulents but that’s been slightly scuppered as going to a garden centre hasn’t happened yet, even though they’ve reopened. My succulents over-wintered well, but I don’t have quite enough to fill a frame, and if i’m honest, I hoped to add to my collection!

Not that I plan to compete with this display, a single frame was my aim.

But maybe I should aim higher? And if not hight, be more ambitious. Though I suspect that once you start they’ll be addictive. I’m sure I’ve got a few more old picture frames hanging around. Well, not actually hanging around, but you know what I mean.

I’m not sure mine will be as grand, especially as I planned to hang them on the garden fence!

Looking more closely at the frame on the right in the picture below, you can just see some of the mesh which keeps the plants in place. I’d not worked out how I would do that, but this gives me some clues. I’m sure I must have something that could also work, though chicken wire might be too ‘open’.

The frame on the left above, I’ve just realised is much more stylised than I’d ever hope to achieve. Actually growing succulents vertically is my aim!