An everyday scene

I had intended to go down to Ardkinglas this afternoon to play around with the Gardening Scotland plants, ahead of the real thing a week on Wednesday. Stupidy I did my back in yesterday, lifting some potted palms, and so won't be going anywhere today.

I did have a walk round the Woodland Garden, however, checking the paths for bits and pieces brought down by the wind last night, but being less flexible than usual took a few scenic pictures instead of close-ups. The rhododendron (azalea!) is 'Hinomayo', surrounded by bluebells, and the tall tree in the background is Thujopsis dolabrata var. hondae, a beautiful conifer from northern  Japan. This one is the UK champion, ie, the tallest.  We have several slightly shorter specimens - I often wonder why somebody planted quite a few of what was, and is, a comparatively unusual tree. An offer in the Daily Express maybe, five for the price of three! But on the other hand, maybe not.

The large rhododendron on the right is Rh decorum, a rather early leafing form the foliage of which sometimes gets frosted, thought to be the the form collected by Euan Cox (father of rhododendron collector Peter Cox) and Reginald Farrer in 1919 in NE Burma. Euan Cox returned home in 1920 but Farrer stayed on and died there a few months later. Every plant has a story.