The other day I was muttering to myself that as much as I love summer, one thing that I do miss about the spring over it is the softer lighting. Sunny summer days can mean harsh brightness that make it difficult to take photos with the contrast, and you may have to wait till sunset to get softer tone of lighting. Also looking around can be harsh on the eyes too (I suppose that's what sunglasses were made for).
Love the views of the garden especially on sunny mornings
Then the other day I was reminded that there are the mornings too, that even on a sunny day you get that narrow gap that it is bright but still soft enough to just illuminate but not too glaring.
As I prepared breakfast that morning I caught glimpse of the garden and appreciated how lovely it looked outside. Before I carried on preparing food I went out for a quick and took a few snaps...
The top patio is home to lots of extra pots this year (more about this later) and this 'lush' side is almost done. The Schefflera macrophylla is glowing in the morning sunshine.
Agave geminiflora, a new purchase this year is looking extra nice that morning too.
The succulents on the the succulent table are bulking up nicely.
On to the koi pond area...
Great display as always from Kniphofia thomsonii, with the bloom spikes looking like flames in a cluster like that.
Cytisus battandieri is extra floriferous this year, so many yellow blooms! Beyond it you can see the burnt trees from the garden fire we had a couple of years ago. They are in our neighbours garden so it's not up to us to remove them.
Chamaerops humilis var. cerifera and Yucca linearifolia getting more blue as the warmer months progress.
And so is this Yucca rostrata.
The Yucca faxoniana in the second raised bed is pushing out even longer leaves and is looking even more imposing, we love it!!
Altogether now!
This Aloe polyphylla has had four winters outside already, receiving no extra protection during the colder months. I wonder when it will reward us with flowers? Even so we are pleased that it is doing really well.
Schefflera delavayi in the third raised bed.
Love the golden glow of this Schefflera rhododendrifolia under the soft morning sun.
So is this Schefflera aff. myriocarpa that is towering above us already.
Once again the first raised bed.
Finally, on my way back to the house to finish preparing breakfast I caught glimpse of the top patio from the koi pond area. Just had to take a photo as for some reason I never really paid attention to this particular view before, and it was looking good in the morning light.
Must do this more often, get up early on a sunny morning and appreciate the garden in the morning light.
Mark :-)
