A Garden In Winter

No, not mine! There's nothing in mine apart from a few rather sad snowdrops amongst the moss and mud. So I went for a stroll around the University Botanic Gardens in Cambridge. 

What? Pay good money to see a garden in February? Surely there's nothing to see....

Well, the lake and rockery are always pretty whatever the season, particularly on a bright sunny afternoon like we enjoyed yesterday, even if flowers are few and far between. But what's this.....?

Some of the trees are already showing a little blossom. But there's something even better...

Although nobody ever seems to mention it, the Gardens have a wonderful display of snowdrops, not just the patch I'm showing you here but throughout the gardens. It's every bit as good as the snowdrop walks advertised by other gardens in England. And if it's chilly you can always warm up by visiting the tropical flowers in the glasshouses.

Spectacular colour is guaranteed at any season of the year. Occasionally you might find a little fungus taking advantage of the warm, moist micro-climate.

A few spectacular orchids were also making a show....

I'm always attracted by the structure of these tropical beauties....

Anyone who will be in Cambridge during the second half of February may be interested to know that there'll be an Orchid Festival taking place in the glasshouses, which should be worth a visit - and possibly a blog post if I manage to get there myself.

But none of this was what attracted me to the gardens this week. For although the University uses the gardens as a teaching and research facility, there's plenty of room for decorative and artistic horticulture too, and I was really on my way to see the winter garden. I'll show you in the next post.

Take care.