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    Archives

    Monthly Archive for: "October, 2018"
    Home » Archives for October 2018
     Cruising the Inside Passage of Alaska
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    By Alan Down
    In Travel, Wildlife
    Posted October 15, 2018

    Cruising the Inside Passage of Alaska

    Cruising the Alaskan Inside Passage The Inside Passage of Alaska used to puzzle the Western World. Local First Nation peoples spoke of a way to the north between the huge island of Vancouver and [...]

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     Scottish Buddhist Monastery
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    By Alan Down
    In Travel, Visit Britain
    Posted October 12, 2018

    Scottish Buddhist Monastery

    Scottish Buddhist Monastery A Scottish Buddhist Monastery in Scotland? Yes, there really is! Having visited a few in Nepal and Sikkim I was skeptical when friends suggested a visit to the Samye [...]

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    About Alan

    Flora and fauna have always fascinated me but it was a lifelong career in horticulture that filled most days.

    Having grown up on a farm where boyhood days were filled with discoveries of the natural world I soon found that my passion for plants – wildflowers at that time – would direct my career…

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    Alan E Down @AlanEDown
    13 hours ago
    Could this be a newly emerged tortoiseshell #butterfly in #mynewgarden today @Butterfly_bros ?
    I think you’ll agree it’s beauty! https://t.co/kNXZGgfo98
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    Alan E Down @AlanEDown
    2 days ago
    Hungry gap? What hungry gap?
    Fresh #salad leaves from our @KederGreenhouse today.
    Just add wild sorrel for that extra special ingredient! https://t.co/mfrM3llhMY
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    Alan E Down @AlanEDown
    3 days ago
    Just look at this little beauty!
    Dwarf #daffodil Elka. A true miniature. Do you like it? https://t.co/pcUP2aSVN7
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    Spotted my first tortoiseshell butterfly yesterday Spotted my first tortoiseshell butterfly yesterday!
Could it be a newly emerged one? It was in very fine condition.
It was checking out the nettles that I’ve left for wildlife to enjoy and I think they are a favourite for this species’ caterpillars.
    Spot the butterfly! Brimstone butterflies for me Spot the butterfly!

Brimstone butterflies for me always signal the start of spring and this week I’ve seen two on the wing. They are strong fliers and rarely stay still for long. This is one I snapped two years ago on wild primrose where it’s colour provides excellent camouflage.

One that I spotted was on a sunny bank @thenewtinsomerset and not phased by all the large tree planting that continues there apace!

Have you seen any yet?

#gmgspring #springisonitsway #springisontheway #spring #signsofspring #march2021 #march #springflowers #springflowersmakemehappy #yellow #mellowyellow #butterfly #butterfliesofinstagram #butterflies #celebratethelittlethings #celebratetheseason #primrose #primula #wildflowergarden #wildflowerhour #wildflowers #somerset #somersetlife #thenewtinsomerset #horticulturelife #horticultura #brimstone #butterflies #lepidoptera
    Looking forward to Pink Dragonfly Bergenia blooms Looking forward to Pink Dragonfly Bergenia blooms again soon! This is an exceptional variety of pigsqueak or elephant’s ears and much more compact than most.
Bergenia are related to Saxifrage and come from Asia.

#gardening 
#horticulture
#garden #gardendesign 
#horticulturelife #horticultura 
#bergenia #pinkpinkpink #pink #colormehappy #color #colourpop #colour #march #marchmadness #celebratethelittlethings #celebratetheseason #pigsqueak #elephantsears #springblooms
 #mynewgarden #celebratetheseason #celebratethelittlethings #naturesway #inspiredbyflowers #alittlebeautyeveryday #slowsimpleseasonal
    Precision training @thenewtinsomerset . Fan traine Precision training @thenewtinsomerset . Fan trained plums and fig trained on south facing parobala wall. I love those (oak?) battens. Shoots held in place by recycled strips of fabric.

#gardening
#horticulture
#horticulturelife #horticultura 
#plum #fig
    Moth orchids offer such great value and are dead e Moth orchids offer such great value and are dead easy to look after. Little wonder that they are the most popular indoor plant. 
In my revisited blog I visit a large British grower but also describe new developments.
Link in bio

#mothorchid #phalaenopsis #phalaenopsisorchid #phalaenopsisorchids #doubleh #houseplantsofinstagram #houseplantclub #indoorplants #indoorjungle #indoor #indoorgardener #indoorgarden #miniorchid #plantsmakepeoplehappy #plantsplantsplants #plantparenthood #plantbased #plantsofinatagram #plantworld #plantwisdom
    Wonderful display and scent from this pot of #Narc Wonderful display and scent from this pot of #Narcissus Paperwhite from @HollandBulbs . Even the (unplanned?) mixture with Avalanche works! Perhaps that was their plan? Pic 2 Avalanche Pic 3 Paperwhite - might repeat this mix!
    Anemone blanda giving us a blast of blue! These ar Anemone blanda giving us a blast of blue! These are new corms planted in pots in autumn that will be planted very soon around shrubs where they will hopefully thrive and spread. We’ve white ones too but they are less well advanced. Should we mix them up or plant them separately?

#anemone #anemones #blue #windflower #springiscoming #springisintheair #gdnmediaguild #gmgspring #february #instablooms #slowsimpleseasonal #myquietbeauty #verilymoment #underthefloralspell #alittlebeautyeveryday #botanicalpickmeup #dsfloral #thebotanicalseries #noticewonderconnect #inspiremyinstagram #anemoneblanda #verilymoment #theslowdowncollective #thatvelvetfeeling #thebeautyofnature #thebeautyinwinter #blues
    Here’s a real early one! Thanks to @rogercrookes Here’s a real early one! Thanks to @rogercrookes , @taylorsbulbs1919 and Helen Brown of Little Ash Garden for the positive identification!
Need to get bulbs of this one from @taylorsbulbs1919 this autumn.

#springisonitsway #springisnear #springisnearlyhere #daffodils #daffodil #daffodilseason #yellowflowers #yellow #celebration #celebratethelittlethings #celebratetheseason #mybotanicalbungalow #february #february2021 #narcissus #gardeningismytherapy #garden #gardenerslife #springblooms #springbloom
    Iris reticulata Carolina #springiscoming #springi Iris reticulata Carolina

#springiscoming #springisintheair #blue #iris #irisreticulata #spring #celebratethelittlethings #celebratetheseason #botanical #flower #flowerbulbs #springbulbs #fresh #colourmyworld #aseasonalshift #myquietbeauty #allthingsbotanical #botanicalpickmeup #allwhatsbeautiful #verilymoment #dsfloral #inspiration #instagram #inspiremyinstagram #inspiredbyflowers
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