Arty journeys...

LITTLE ARTY JOURNEYS . . . LOOKING CLOSER, SEEING DEEPER.

Friday 28 April 2017

Coombe Wood with a friend.

My last few trips to Coombe Wood have involved public transport and too much walking which has aggravated my foot problem so it was a real treat to be driven to and from Coombe Wood by one of my friends yesterday.

Our walk was gentle and in two halves with a welcome break for lunch in the middle.

Tulips - still looking fabulous. 

I've said before how lovely it is to go to Coombe Wood with someone else and how often other people notice things that I haven't noticed. This trip was lovely for a different reason - my friend and I were both saying "Wow - just look at that" and appreciating the same things.


We both commented on the zingy green of the euphorbias which really stands out against the darker greens around them

and the insect-like structures in the two tiered centres

We enthused about the wonderful way ferns uncurl

and admired the way that some of the long arching tulip stems bend so far that the petals rest on the plants underneath. The colours are amazing. Some look as if they have been marbled.

They were all standing so upright and leaning in the same direction towards the sun not long ago but now it looks as if a joyous party is taking place here.

I have been describing these tulips as ragged or frayed - I have discovered that they are actually called fringed hybrids. This one is such a lovely deep red.

Scarlet and crimson combination. 

We noticed how the colour combinations work so well - e.g. the yellow in this tulip is echoed in the primulas and the orange veining on the petals is echoed in the tulips and primulas behind.

How beautiful the twist is where the petals are nearing the stem - not the part of a tulip that we usually look at in detail.


And another one - look at those lovely stripes. 

A mass of orange, red and yellow. 


Fed up with tulips? Something different - Judas tree blossom

Ceanothus - absolutely covered in tiny blue flowers.


Allium buds - and I find myself wanting to know whether the calyx grows in one piece that splits as the bud emerges or if it grows in several individual pieces (sepals).  


Only a few days ago I wondered how new life would emerge from this clump of hollow stems and it is happened so quickly.

Heading for the cafe - yes we're passing the tulips again.



Natures natural curls. 


We had a lovely lunch together then headed back outside again.

My alarm went off, letting me know that it was eye drops time again (every 2 hours since my operation). We stopped in the little hut to sort that out. While we were there we saw the gardener pass by in the distance with one of the hose trolleys.

Blushing young Korean pine cones. 

White blossom covering a tiny shrub. 

Lily of the valley (we both love Lily of the valley). 

Contrasting colours peep through everywhere.  

Beautiful abundance of light green leaves - with buds beginning to show.


A last look at an allium - this seems to be a calyx splitting open, not separate sepals. It looks as if have found the answer to my question.

Thank you very much for joining me. 

2 comments:

  1. oh what a fabulous visit - loving all the bright colours. I'd have been going "wow" too. have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete