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

Dry garden plants

I've seen several dry gardens in recent years. The concept of growing plants that will flourish in dry weather isn't new, but the onset of global warming has given the idea greater currency. Often such gardens have a grey-green appearance due to the preponderance of shrubs and perennials with leaves of that colour, a characteristic of many drought-tolerant plants. Here, however, in Beth Chatto's Essex garden the blue cornflowers, brown grasses etc gave a wider range of colours that I found very attractive.

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

Coleus plants

This photograph was taken in the cold frames of the gardens of Peckover House in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. This large, Georgian town house is in the care of the National Trust. As I took my photograph I wondered why the gardeners were cultivating so many different varieties of the plant. Were they breeding new types? Were they for a colour themed display of this single type of plant? Whatever the reason, when viewed through my wide angle lens, as I leaned over the open cold frame, they made a splendid composition of circles and colours.

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