The Brief Life of Flowers by Fiona Stafford. A review.

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In: free giveaway

I have a copy of The Brief Life of Flowers by Fiona Stafford to give away to a lucky reader. “Its elegant, beguiling and scented prose, brings the wonder of plants alive.” Gabriel Hemery, May 2019 Simply sign up to my Newsletter for a change to win. Deadline 23:59, 1stContinue Reading

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In: ecology, feature

In September 1852 young Scottish plant hunter John Jeffrey came across an attractive flowering plant in northern California. After samples were received by his sponsors at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh it was named in his honour.Continue Reading

Wild cherry and hawksbeard

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In: photo

It’s always a challenge photographing flowers in a woodland. Very often you have to battle with low light conditions due to shade, so a tripod is essential. Being outdoors, the wind is often a problem in trying to capture the detail of flowers. In this case I made the mostContinue Reading

Common spotted orchid

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In: nature, photo, photography

This weekend I revisited a woodland plantation that I’d planted 19 years ago.  I was delighted to discover a coterie of common spotted orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii).  The sweet chestnut trees that I’d planted had been coppiced, as originally planned, and were accompanied by ‘volunteer’ silver birch.  The light shading canopyContinue Reading