Pink cyclamen flowers

My wife's regime with our potted cyclamens usually results in them flowering in winter. This year due to changes in her management they are flowering in August and September. We have a few different coloured cyclamens, some subtle, others like the pink example above, are positively eye popping.

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

Thinking about crocuses

click image to enlarge

I don't often think about crocuses. I see them when the flower buds begin opening in February. I notice when the house sparrows have been pulling them apart. And, as large and small drifts of the flowers appear in lawns and borders, I observe their often untidy appearance as those past their best stand alongside the more recent.  But, as I was taking these two photographs it occured to me that crocuses are one of those flowers that look best from nearby, are somewhat disappointing from a distance, and often look best in direct sunlight. Moreover, I definitely prefer the purple-petalled variety with their yellow/orange stamens than those with yellow or white petals.

click image to enlarge

The first of these photographs is of more natural looking crocuses growing up through the ivy and early greenery of a churchyard. It's the one I prefer. The second photograph shows quite striking flowers clustered in a characteristic garden display.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Cyclamens, assorted colours

One of the attractions of the cyclamen is that it can be persuaded to flower indoors in the depths of winter, a time when many flowering plants are dormant. We have, for many years, had cyclamens that spend much of the winter on the window sills of an unheated conservatory, only bringing them into the house proper when the temperatures dip below freezing for any extended period. We currently have plants that have spent previous winters with us, and a few that were bought last year. They are a variety with smaller flowers and have been in full bloom for weeks, with more weeks to come.

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

Cyclamen flowers

Over the winter months a few pots of cyclamens have brightened our conservatory. Though they look like delicate plants they actually thrive in lower temperatures. Now, with the days lengthening, the sun higher in the sky, and other colours coming into view in the garden, I set out to photograph the pink flowers against their multicoloured backdrop. A macro lens with a shallow depth of field achieved the somewhat "dreamy" image that I sought.

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

Stigma, style, stamen and petals

It's remarkable how episodes from childhood can pop up in your memory as though they were yesterday. When I was looking at this photograph on my computer of an open tulip bloom I mentally checked off the botanical names for the parts of the flower. In so doing I was transported back to the time in school when I drew a labelled diagram during a lesson about plant reproduction. As a botanical illustration this photograph lacks clarity. However, the contrast between the sharp centre and the soft surround gives it qualities that I like.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100