Frosted teasels

This group of teasels caught my eye when we went out for an early morning walk. The darkess of the large seed heads was turned brighter by the frosting that the cold night had added. The sharp shapes against the out of focus background was very appealing.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Trailing euphorbia

The euphorbia, with a genus of over 2000 members, is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. From tiny annuals to a tree-like plant of 30m (98 feet) or more, one euphorbia can look quite different from another. The subject of my photograph is Euphorbia myersinites,  a trailing plant often found on rockeries in Britain. Like all its brethren this plant has a poisonous, milky sap that can cause a rash on the hands of a careless gardener. I have featured a Euphorbia on the blog before. It shares little in appearance with the example above.

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

Stinging nettle

The stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is one of the most common and widespread of British wild plants. It is one of a small number of plants, that includes cow parsley and cleavers (goose grass), that have benefitted from the nitrogenous acid rain that was and still is a feature of industrialisation. Children find its sting a source of pain though to most adults it is merely an irritation. There was a time when the nettle was always in the list of those to be planted or enouraged when making an area more wildlife friendly. However, none of the butterflies for whom it is a major food source are in danger, and it is increasingly the view that we have quite enough nettles and there are other plants more deserving of inclusion. These nettles were part of a group thriving in some woods and once again the light filtering down through the leaf canopy above made the composition.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Hebe

Hebe was the Ancient Greek goddess of youth, a daughter of Zeus and the cup-bearer for the gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus to whom she brought nectar and ambrosia. Hebe is also the name of a genus of plants native to New Zealand and a particular favourite of mine. The approximately one hundred species come in varying sizes, varying leaf shapes and colours, and varying flower colours. In their native land large leaved varieties favour coastal areas and small leaved species are usually found in mountainous areas. In the UK, therefore, leaf size has come to determine hardiness - small are hardy, large less so. This photograph shows a new arrival in our garden seen through a macro lens.

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

Bromeliad flower

In evolutionary terms the bromeliad is a relatively recent family of plants. Because of the types of climate they favour they usually have a poorly developed root system. Consequently many have evolved a tight structure at the base of their leaves that traps water and nutrients. If the indoor gardener knows anything about bromeliads it is that they should be watered in the centre of the plant. This is also the point from which the spectacular flowers grow.

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

Euphorbia

Over the years I've had a love-hate relationship with the plant, Euphorbia. I like the shapes and colours that have been bred by plantsmen, I like its vigour, the fact that it thrives in semi-shade, and its tolerance of moist conditions. However, that vigour can turn to invasiveness and the plant can squeeze out other species. Moreover, it attracts the sort of pests that are not always welcome in a garden, and every variety has sap that is an irritant on the skin, so careful handling is required. There is definitely a place for some of the more striking varieties in a large garden. In a smaller garden the case isn't as strong. The variety shown above is Euphorbia griffithii "Fireglow": its name says it all.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100