Posted in History, Nature, Uncategorized, tagged Carmarthenshire, Spring, Wales on April 1, 2013 | 8 Comments »
Primroses beside the old canal at Pembrey in April 2006…
It’s April now, and icy as midwinter here in Wales. Spring’s growth has been set back a few weeks and my thoughts turn to an earlier and warmer Spring, when we walked beside the old canal at Pembrey, near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.
Footpath beside the old canal at Pembrey…
These pictures were taken in (more…)
Posted in Birds, Nature, Uncategorized, Wales, tagged birds, Carmarthenshire, wildfowl on January 11, 2013 | 14 Comments »
Mr and Mrs mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) at Llanelli WWT, late December 2012
Although we are now starting a colder and drier spell – maybe with snow on the way – we have had nothing but rain for months. Ideal if you have webbed feet!
So we recently made one of our regular trips to the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust reserve in Llanelli. At this time of year the (more…)
Posted in Gardening, Nature, Uncategorized, tagged Carmarthenshire, Gardening, winter on January 27, 2012 | 10 Comments »
Low winter sun over the Cloister Garden at Aberglasney
I always try to visit Aberglasney House & Gardens in Carmarthenshire at least once in winter. This January it was just (more…)
Posted in Gardening, Uncategorized, Wales, tagged Carmarthenshire, Gardening, Wales, winter on January 11, 2012 | 9 Comments »
The National Botanic Garden of Wales in January 2012 - early daffodils...
While Mediterranean flowers were in bloom in the Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in the first week of January, outside there were a few colourful surprises so early in the year.
These included daffodils, which traditionally just about manage to appear in time for St David’s Day, our national day in Wales, on March 1.
As well as these signs of spring, there were also still some of last year’s autumn leaves as well as the more usual winter Hellebores and Daphne. Three seasons in one…
The National Botanic Garden of Wales in January 2012 - 'autumn' leaves?
It has, of course, been (more…)
Posted in Gardening, Uncategorized, Wales, tagged Carmarthenshire, flowers, Gardening, winter on January 9, 2012 | 6 Comments »
The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in early January 2012 - on a mild day of sunshine and showers...
Oh dear, as time goes by I find I am repeating myself. In early January I usually visit the National Botanic Garden of Wales at Llanarthne in Carmarthenshire – partly because entry is free all month.
And for a second year I am sharing my pictures, first from the Great Glasshouse and later from the outside garden. Here is last January’s glasshouse blog post.
The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in early January 2012 - Leucadendron (thanks to South African gardener Diana Studer - Elephant's Eye - for the identification)
Nothing ever stays the same in a garden, and (more…)
Posted in Gardening, Trees, Uncategorized, Wales, tagged Carmarthenshire, Gardening, Trees, Wales, winter on January 22, 2011 | 5 Comments »
A bare oak tree in front of the Great Glasshouse at the Garden of Wales in January 2011
I have already posted my pictures of the flowers in the Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in winter. As I mentioned before, entry to the Garden of Wales is free in January 2011.
Bare red dogwood (Cornus) stems at the Garden of Wales in January 2011
But on the same day I also took pictures of the cold outdoor gardens themselves and found there was still a lot of colour and texture to be seen…
Yellow lichen at the Garden of Wales in January 2011
A metal waterlily sculpture at the Garden of Wales in January 2011
Some green leaves (possibly Arum italicum pictum?) in the herbaceous borders at the Garden of Wales in January 2011
Corkscrew hazel (Corylus avellana 'Contorta') at the Garden of Wales in January 2011
Posted in Gardening, Nature, Uncategorized, Wales, tagged Carmarthenshire, Gardening, Nature, Wales, winter on January 17, 2011 | 2 Comments »
The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in January 2011 - Protea 'Pink Ice'
In the depths of winter there is a surprising haven filled with blossoming plants in the Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, near Llanarthne in Carmarthenshire.
An even greater surprise is the fact that the garden is open FREE to visitors during January 2011 – although a donation would of course be much appreciated.
The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in January 2011
While the outside world is under ice, the Great Glasshouse maintains an environment suitable for plants from regions with a Mediterranean climate – as the website puts it: “hot dry summers, cool moist winters, dazzling sunlight, strong breezes and the occasional ground-clearing fire create perfect conditions for many plants to thrive on the scrubby, rock-strewn landscapes”.
Ice on a water-lily pond at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in January...
I have to admit that when the Great Glasshouse was unveiled in the year 2000 I was disappointed that it was not a lush tropical house, but I have come to appreciate its subtlety.
Six areas of the world are represented: California, Australia, the Canary Islands, Chile, South Africa and the Mediterranean Basin. These regions cover less than 2% of the Earth’s surface, but contain more than 20% of all known flowering plant species.
The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in January 2011
The Great Glasshouse was designed by Norman Foster and Partners and is the biggest single-span glasshouse in the world. At first it reminded me of a Teletubbies house, although the website says: “Poised on the Welsh landscape like a giant raindrop, it protects and conserves some of the most endangered plants on the planet”.
The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in January 2011
Anyway, it is a wonderful place to visit to photograph or draw or paint the plants, all year round…
The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in January 2011
Posted in Science Fiction, Trees, Uncategorized, Wales, tagged Carmarthenshire, Sci-fi, Trees, winter on January 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Can you tell what it is yet?
Does this remind you of anything? I spotted it at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthenshire the other day.
The picture shows the sawn-off stump of a Polylepis australis in mid winter. And here’s the rest of the tree, rather the worse for wear after very harsh frost and snow – although it is probably adapted for the cold since it comes from the endangered mountain forests of the South American Andes…
Polylepis australis
Maybe you don’t see it yourself, but my first thought was Wall-E!
Wall-E, cute robot from the Disney/Pixar film of the same name...
I will soon be posting more pictures from the National Botanic Garden of Wales, but I felt this one deserved its own mention…
Posted in Gardening, Trees, Uncategorized, Wales, tagged Carmarthenshire, Gardening, Nature, Trees, winter on January 12, 2011 | 3 Comments »
The back of Aberglasney House from Bishop Rudd's Walk, January 2011
All is resting in the garden at Aberglasney House in Carmarthenshire at this time of year, but still a great deal of interest remains for plant enthusiasts – as well as great home-cooked local food in the little Gardeners’ Cafe!
The brassicas in the kitchen garden have survived the frost and snow well…
Curly kale in the Lower Walled Garden, Aberglasney, January 2011
But sadly the same cannot be said of the colourful but delicate Swiss chard…
Frost-damaged Swiss chard, Aberglasney, January 2011
The same Swiss chard at Aberglasney in summer
When all else fails, the bones of the trees remain…
The Pool Garden at Aberglasney, January 2011
And the dead seed heads of the herbaceous plants…
Dead seed heads, Aberglasney, January 2011
And it’s a time for the mosses and lichens to shine…
Moss on oak trunk, Aberglasney, January 2011
Yellow lichen and quartz on a wall, Aberglasney, January 2011
The stony gardens are cold…
Cloister Garden, Aberglasney, January 2011 - with lavender in the foreground
That same lavender was full of butterflies in the summer…
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