• photography,  winter,  woodland

    Photographing Snowdrops

    The snowdrop season has not quite arrived here yet, but statistically it should be here soon. About a meter of snow still puts a damper on the snowdrops arrival. I have not kept an exact chronicle on their arrival each year but I can see from my picture folders that in 2005 I have the first pictures of snowdrops from March 26th, in 2006 they are from April 16th, in 2007 already on March 13th of, in 2008 March 10th(!) and in 2009 they flowered at least on the April 19th. Last year work kept me so busy that I did not get a chance to photograph them at all. Snowdrops…

  • greenhouse,  indoor

    Visiting Viherpaja

    Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ – peikonpähkinä – trollhassel I was out trying to score some herbs on Saturday; I’m being literal: I was looking for Thyme, Rosemary and other herbs for the windowsill, it’s surprisingly hard to find nice ones before the season starts. Viherpaja though, had some good ones, and once you are there you just can’t miss their Japanese Garden. The Japanes Garden is entirely indoors. This is gives you a chance to admire some beauties that just aren’t hardy enough for Finland and you get to see them flower before the season really starts outdoors. On Saturday the cherries were just starting to bloom, the Japanese maples were…

  • travel

    Some More South-Africa

    I wrote about my trip to South Africa in October earlier. I posted most of my decent horizontal shots (I actually take a lot more vertical shots, they just don’t look as good on the blog), but a certain part got left out, what I could call “random roses” and a few other pics. I’m a member of the Finnish Rose Society and I am interested in roses, but not in the same way the most devoted enthusiast are, I really could not even be: I am more or less equally interested in so many other aspects of gardening as well and time would just run out. That said, I’m…