This is a bit of a mix of flowers from Belfast, Chorley, Kew Gardens and Hampton Court Palace, so a wider range of places than the usual Sydney. Going back to the UK after eight years away was a good trip back, especially as it’s summer there at the moment-there were plenty of flowers to look at!
Hanging baskets were always a feature next to the front doors of houses when I was a kid. Colourful and easy to put together, I always thought they added a bit of something when I saw them. This delightful selection of hanging baskets outside a pub in Greenwich Park, London must have been of note at the time because I don’t remember taking it, although I’m glad I did!
The next few photos are from Hampton Court Palace, a place I could spend days in, for the gardens as well as the history. These flowers belong to a plant called yellow milfoil (Achillea tomntosa). I love the bright yellow flowers, they are very cheery in the sun (and it was a really hot day in London that day too).
Colour can be a fabulous thing, and the flowers below show how true that is. This plant is Peruvian lily or Alstromeria aurea. I love the yellow and orange/red flowers.
From bright colours to more subdued, but equally lovely. I love the colour of these delphiniums.
Members of the daisy family are always great to have around, including these unfortunately named sneezeweed flowers. They are a really pretty colour in a garden beds full of colour and different flower shapes.
From Hampton Court Palace to St James’s Park in the middle of London. There were several of these Indian horse chestnut (Aesculus indica) trees in the middle of flowering. I was loving it that day-the sun was shining, it was warm, and the park was so peaceful and quiet compared to its surroundings so this delightful tree has become a sudden favourite.
At Kew Gardens, I came across the pink trumpet vine, or Podranea ricasoliana. I like the pink flowers which stand out against the green of their surroundings really well.
Passionflowers are always a favourite of mine, with purple also being one of my favourite colours. This particular passionflower is Passiflora ‘Connor Cailean’, which I found in the temperate house in Kew Gardens.
As I could go on for more hours that anyone has time for, here is a selection of more flowers that I came across on my trip back to the UK.
This post sums up my trip to the UK, which was a fantastic trip, even though I’m glad to be back home in Australia. Everywhere I go, I love to find gardens and plants and I did plenty of that while there!