A Prickly Customer

Another visit to Melrose, and  the garden at Priorwood. It is next door to the Abbey and once belonged to it.

The orchard has many varieties of apple. Some of the trees are ancient, gnarled and covered in lichen, but I doubt they can be the actual ones the monks planted. 

The rest of the garden is turned over to plants for dried flower arranging.  This sea-holly would be ideal, but it has begun to lose the metallic sheen and the blue-purple colour is fading to mauve. The texture is still there, so it is my effort for this week's Mono Monday challenge. Thanks to 60plus for hosting it.