Category: gardens

Midwinter thoughts.

Posted on by andy.winfield

By Andy Winfield

A dull December scene, leafless trees, but part of a rainbow giving colour to the image.

It’s been very dark and very wet lately, like, very dark. I’ve just come in from cutting back mistletoe and the rain began falling heavily, completely in line with the yellow weather warning for rain that the Met Office put in place. I thought, dark, wet, and cutting mistletoe, what can be more midwinter than that; there was a robin hopping around nearby as well just to add some festive card chic to the occasion. Throughout human history here in the northern hemisphere, getting to, and past, midwinter has been something to celebrate, and we’ve made it to another one. It won’t be long until the signposts out of winter begin to appear. (more…)

Twenty years later.

Posted on by andy.winfield

By Andy Winfield

A sea of earth with the outline of paths dug out. The Botanic Garden as a work in progress.
The area now called Phylogeny.

This year marks the twentieth year the University of Bristol Botanic Garden has been at The Holmes.  I started working for the Botanic Garden twenty-four years ago when it was on the edge of Leigh Woods; I had no idea I’d be at the Botanic Garden for as long as I have, or that I was signing up to huge moving operation, none of us did. I could spend a long time describing how we moved the Garden from one place to another, the hours and hours of digging, creating, and planting; but in a moment where we can stop and ponder the passage of time, I think the main thing we’re all most proud of is what the Garden has become. (more…)

Lichen through the looking glass

Posted on by andy.winfield

By Andy Winfield

Orange crustose lichen and green foliose lichen on a fallen tree branch
The array of lichen life on a fallen cedar branch.

I’ve recently started noticing lichen. Now I can’t stop noticing it; it’s everywhere, living on, and in multiple surfaces. Walking around Bristol it’s on the harbour walls, the loch gates, on holiday it’s on the rocks of the cliffs and hanging from trees. Lichen covers around 8% of the planet’s surface area, and so could be argued that it’s one of the most successful collaborations in the natural world.  When you do start noticing, you want to keep noticing, and get in closer with a little hand lens, a looking glass. (more…)

Remembering to look

Posted on by andy.winfield

By Andy Winfield

Purple crocus flowering through grass and covered in raindrops.
Crocus tommasinianus.

The other day, I was walking through the Garden as a very heavy shower of rain had just finished. The landscape around me seemed to be looking up disgruntled, rainwater dripping down waterproofs, running down the path, off branches and twigs. Then the sun came out. The dark clouds carrying the rain were moving away behind me and the low January sun shone in my face. I stopped; between me and the sun were three low trees, and as the sun’s light travelled through them to me, the recent water glowed. It looked like the tree was made of water, so recently had the shower passed; I’d never really seen anything like it, and it reminded me to keep looking, even in darkest January, keep looking, otherwise we don’t see. This is the same with January and early February flower, they’re there, but we have to look. (more…)