Hidden Discoveries

A mild January day with barely a breath of wind tempted me out into the garden to cut away some undergrowth and clear up leaves.

As I pruned and cut back shrubs and plants I discovered forgotten planting with delight.

Gathering up decaying leaves revealed these dainty snowdrop heads either bent forward or inclined gracefully towards the sky.

 

As I nipped and clipped at the pyracantha hedge I uncovered this luxurious tropical-looking passion flower just opening amongst its swathes and spirals of vine tendrils. 

 

I was surprised to find these campanula bells flowering under the shelter of the ceanothus tree.

 

The intricate leaf structure of this teeny, tiny dollhouse fern (cotula leptinella) can only be fully appreciated up close.

The glossy leaves of this acanthus plant promise a courtly array of racemes later in the summer.

These deceptively benign hellebore flowers peep out behind hearts tongue ferns.  Its roots are strongly emetic and potentially fatal if ingested.

I brushed against the dried heads of this fennel plant releasing its pungent aniseed scent.  New growth can be seen at the base if its sturdy stems.

 

Chiselled horsetail plants catch the eye with their fluted shoots and sphagnum moss blankets the surface of the boundary wall.

Tired out tools.  Someone left my trowel out in the rain.  It must have been the fairies at the bottom of the garden...