Darwin's Barberry

It seems almost a matter of chance whether gardeners refer to plants by their English or Latin name. The subject of today's photograph has always been called, in my hearing, Berberis and not Barberry. It's a plant that originates from Chile and Patagonia and was named after Charles Darwin. Berberis darwinii offers the brightest of orange to the days of early spring, and its only drawback, I find, is the prickly leaves that have to be handled after pruning and which often prick you when weeding in its vicinity. It makes a fine subject against a blue sky.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Bethnal Green gasholders

By London's Regent's Canal where it passes through Bethnal Green are two gasholders. The older of the pair is smaller and the larger is the newer one. They were built in 1888 and 1889 by the Imperial Gas Light & Coke Company in connection with the nearby Shoreditch Gasworks. The canal was used as the means by which coal was brought to the gasworks for conversion into gas and the gasholders held a reserve of the inflammable material. Today they are a piece of visually interesting industrial archaeology which the local community would like to see continuing to enliven the the skyscape.


photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100