Rowans Blog

Now You See It Now You Dont:

2008-01-03T21:15:00.001Z

Now you see it:
Now You Dont:

Well everyone, it has been a while. But moving on from all that, I was at home briefly over the Christmas holiday period, just a couple of days but enough time to give me time to get some work done in the garden. Im back at college now but thought some of you may like to see what i got upto in the garden.

My main project was coppicing the Hazel which stands in the left hand corner of my small fernery . It had not been touched for about 8 years and was getting too big, shading next doors garden slightly and providing an awful lot of shade to my garden as well (Which contrary to popular belief is not necessarily where ferns thrive, deep shade, dappled shade is more suited).

Some other developments. My tree ferns and one or two others are indoor for winter, sitting comfortably on my windowsills being watered with the rest of the houseplants by my parents. About 4 years ago i bought a young tree fern, not dissimilar in size to my young batch. Anyway, it pretty much died over winter and was with due ceremony chucked in the stream. Anyway, long story short it may not have been dead. When the stream was being tidied this autumn my Dad found what looks like it maybe a 6 year old tree fern with a decent trunk (Approx 1' tall and 8" round). We will see in the spring when it fronds out again but it looks like it may have survived in the cool humid stream bank.

It's Been A While...

2007-12-22T13:32:00.000Z

Well I'm away at university at the moment, and hence away from my little garden. I will be at home for a couple of days over the Christmas break so expect many updates! Including coppicing, weeding and general tidying ready for spring! Expect lots and lots of photos and writing, in the first week or two of January!

Shortly to be resumed as a blog.
Rowan

A Small Project...

2007-09-07T19:40:00.000+01:00

I love working with wood in its natural form, primarily Hazel and Ash as they are freely available to me. The way i work is not refined or artistic, it is functional. It seems a shame to get rid of any wood because it has been cut down, right down to the thinnest twig. I try and find some use for every part of a branch that has been cut, this project is an example of this.

This project was very simple, plant labels made from recycled aluminium and Hazel, Ash and Hornbeam branches. A very rustic plant label but it works well with the ferns.

Harlow Carr Last Few...

2007-09-02T11:42:00.001+01:00

I hope you have enjoyed this Harlow Carr photoseries, i certainly enjoyed the visit despite the rain, Harlow Carr is a wonderful garden and should be visited at all costs.

Harlow Carr Continued....

2007-09-02T11:33:00.001+01:00

Well its been a while...

2007-09-02T11:23:00.000+01:00

Its been a while since I have posted because my account with Flickr only allows me to upload a certain number of photos per month, doh! Anyway, about 3 weeks ago I visited an RHS garden called Harlow Carr just outside of Harrogate. It took me a while to get there on the train and the weather wasn't always wonderful, it did rain on and off, but the visit was well worth it.

Quite possibly the largest Cyclamen corm I have ever seen!

Won't You Join Me For A Walk...

2007-08-15T20:35:00.001+01:00

A fern frond loaded with Sporangia just about ready to burst and allow their spores to spread.

The wonderful Bilberry bush, got some lovely wild Bilberries today.

These fleeces have been shawn from the sheep and then left, i suspect they would sell for about 50p each, less than the cost of cleaning and transporting them which is a real shame.

This quality of picture is what you get when you rely on a wonky fencepost to take it!

Apologies for this being sideways, another view from the bench.

This commemorative bench is one of my favourite places to sit in the whole valley. The views are wonderful, and on summer days it can be fantastically hot, there are often queues of cars, people just looking at the view.

A beautiful white butterfly which kindly sat still long enough for me to get a nice photo.
(On Himalayan Balsam which isn't so nice)

I think these are probably Longhorn Cattle but i may be mistaken, those in the States maybe be able to give me a better idea on this.

I had a beautiful walk today, it is about 3 miles altogether i imagine and it took me about 3 hours today because i kept stopping to photograph.

Note: All of my photos are currently hosted at www.flickr.com

The Balcony is My Territory.

2007-08-11T22:13:00.000+01:00

My recuperation/post-propagation house. The first floor has young Dicksonia antarctica on it as they like the shade and protection from wind, the second layer has Wisteria sinensis 'Alba' on it. They were outside until today but due to the fairly constant heavy rain recently they have become heavily waterlogged, so today i top dressed them all and placed them in the shelter where they will be allowed to dry out for a week or two before being watered heavily but infrequently.

My aim in life, at the moment, is to one day open my own specialist plant nursery, mainly selling native trees, shrubs and ferns. For a number of years now i have been buying and trading for seed and plants that will help me accomplish this. For instance, i recently purchased 10x 1 year old Dicksonia antarctica. Our house has a balcony and for a while now this has been my territory for propagation and potting on. Today i did a lot of tidying up and thinning out, no before pictures as it was a real mess.

I Spoke of My Interest in Water Photography...

2007-08-10T22:32:00.000+01:00

This is one of my favourite shots as i think it shows the real activity that water undergoes when falling over rocks. It does not portray the flow as being smooth as one might expect with a slower shutter speed.

Again, another favourite, not necessarily for the focus on the water, but for the bleak impression that the rusted fencing gives in the rear of the picture.

This photograph was taken on a slow shutter speed and exhibits the flow of the water well. Towards the top of the fall however, the photo loses focus, especially just above and to the left of the flat rock where, although this flowing effect is purposeful, the flow should retain a crisp edge.

The above photo was taken on a very fast shutter speed in order to capture the activity of the water, and were it not for the grass obstructing the view of the water it would be a very interesting shot.

I spoke of my interest in water photography in the post entitled 'A Walk Through The Local Woodland...'. This series of photographs was taken whilst in North Wales (Somewhere near Beddgelert for those who know it) 2 years ago, almost to the day (26.08.05). This was when i first had my camera and was practicing with different settings for water photography as i had a bit of time whilst others were resting during a walk.

A Walk Through The Local Woodland...

2007-08-09T20:19:00.000+01:00

This is an old factory, not used anymore, on the edge of the woodland and was frequently fodder for ghost stories when i was younger.

It's a shame really, Beech and Ash overtake the woodland, shading out beautiful trees like the Silver Birch. These Silver Birch are all dead i think.

As part of the training for Territorial Army, recruits used to have to crawl through this gap, i think it has gotten too small now though.

The mycelium network of the fungus that killed this tree. Likely to be Honey Fungus.

Tranquility, the only person in the entire woodland...

This is the only King of British Ferns (Dryopteris affinis Cristata 'The King') that i have ever seen in local woodland, although it is indigenous as far as i know to the UK. I suspect it maybe a garden escape, but it is truly stunning and will hopefully spore itself around to vary the fern life in the woodland.

There have been a lot of falling trees over the past few weeks with the weather the way it has been and this one is new, it should continue to grow as it has effectively folded over, leaving the majority of its root system in the ground.

I have a real passion for water photography, in any form, i love the mountain streams of wales but also the gently running river that meanders through the woods across the road from our house.

A Wander Through The Family Garden...

2007-08-09T16:51:00.001+01:00

Well that was a wander through the family garden on one of the nicest days we've had for a while. The posy was made by my mom this morning from flowers from the garden. The stream runs under the garden but is visible in between our neighbours gardens until it dissapears underneath ours.

Thats about it for Barcelona...

2007-08-08T18:12:00.000+01:00

Well thats about it for my Barcelona photos, i have many more but i think the best ones are up. Barcelona is a wonderful place and well worth a visit if you ever get the chance, especially for a long period of time like 2 weeks as it really gives you a chance to explore. The beach is fantastic, the nightlife is great and the culture is amazing! Definitely want to go back for a 3rd visit (I went last summer as well) bu to experience more of the nightlife and that kind of thing.

Barcelona Port and Beach

2007-08-08T18:00:00.000+01:00

Here are some pictures of the Port and Beach in Barcelona.

Monsterrat (Barcelona) 2007

2007-08-08T17:37:00.000+01:00

Monsterrat was an amazing place to visit, despite the fact that i am not religious it was phenomenal to see the Black Madonna and learn about her, as well as the striking scenery and impressive Basilica. This is just a few panoramas and photos of the outside of the Basilica as i did not feel comfortable taking photos inside. (Please click to see the panoramas at full size, if anyone would like larger panoramic shots please email me as i can only store them at a certain size online)

Barcelona Graffiti

2007-08-08T17:30:00.000+01:00

Whilst in Barcelona i found an incredible Graffiti wall which seemed to be Legal or at least accepted. The majority of the work was extremely high quality and extremely interesting. Unfortunately i do not know the names of any of the artists, if any of them find this page and would like me to attribute their name to their work or have the picture removed please contact me through the blog.

General Barcelona 2007

2007-08-08T17:12:00.000+01:00

As a family (Me and my Parents) we spent 2 weeks in Barcelona this summer. It was great because when i am away at university i don't get the chance to come home very often and spend time with family, its a shame my younger brother couldn't make it but he was on the Tanzania exchange that i have been a part of the past two years.

Le Jardin de Botanic (Post 2)

2007-08-08T17:07:00.000+01:00

I neglected to mention, in the first of this series of posts, as i was too focussed on getting the pictures working, that all of these photos were taken at the Barcelona Jardin de Botanic while i was there this summer.

Le Jardin de Botanic (Post 1)

2007-08-08T16:58:00.001+01:00