Spritzhenry's Outbox

Just thought I'd add that I have also this week bought myself a new digital camera - it's a Finepix F30 with 6.3 megapixels and while it only has 3 x optical zoom, the total zoom is 18.5. I was very pleased to read in the Sept Gardening Which magazine that it is recommended in the lower price bracket! I've taken several close ups with it, and am still practising, but although it's not quite up to our (expensive) old one, it's doing what I want it to. You'll have to look at the results I'm getting to see what you think - the pink Salvia bloom was taken with it. It was about £140. Hope this helps.

Sorry - forgot to say that our weather has changed for the better from yesterday, and we have had blue skies and wall-to-wall sunshine!!! (That's just to make you jealous).

Joey - does that flower belong to the plant? also, what size is it - buds, leaves etc. It's a very clear photo but I can't get any idea of how big it is. P.S. Watch those Ox-eyes, they seed themselves everywhere, especially where you don't want them!

It looks like an Oxalis, but don't know the variety. It is lovely!

It is only a guess - could it be a Philodendron? Watch for aerial roots, if it is. I've been through my houseplant book and nothing looks quite right. Sorry not to be able to identify it properly. Other suggestion was going to be a Caladium but their leaves are a lot bigger.

We are planning to - for the first time! Hope it's as good as you say... :-)

Hard to tell without knowing how big the leaves are - also, is it a climber with aerial roots? There are a couple of possibilities if so,

Thanks Ajay - the photo thing will help! Looking forward to seeing what else you clever people have got up your collective sleeves! Do you have meetings or is this all done by e-mail?

Nice to see another one - will you be able to let it stay out for the winter? Mine will have to go in the greenhouse, it's not hardy under 7 degrees, apparently. It has flowered and flowered through rain, wind and sometimes sun this year.

What a difference in your tomatoes since you last showed us! How are the courgettes doing? Loved the photo of the bee on the lavender!

Thanks maple I liked the way the photo turned out, so I am using it as a desktop background! The photo is of one bloom from a stem which has several blooms around it. The plant was put in 2 years ago, flowered with 2 stems the first August, and has spread to 8 stems this year! I believe you can get white ones, too, this one has 'Rosea' after the Saponaria officinale. (I found the plant label!)

Oh wow! What a surprise for you... It certainly looks like a sparrowhawk - as in my bird book. lol - Did it eat the sparrows? If so, it definitely was!

Our digital camera is now quite elderly, compared with the memory you can get these days. It does however have the bonus of a setting for close-ups. I just put it on that setting and lean in to the flowers until the image is shar on the screen. Some don't work, they come out blurred and get deleted!! By the way, thank you for your lovely comments on my photos - I now have the 'bug' to capture my flowers not just as plants, but as beautiful blooms. More on the way!

The flowers are actually quite small - in clusters. It is a short plant, less than a foot in height. Flowering in August, so quite useful. I find it spreads - pops up where I don't expect it! I wish I could send you a bit...

What a lovely healthy plant! my english lavenders have nearly stopped flowering for the year, I think, but the freanch ones are still blooming happily!

I bet everyone stops to look at your garden, don't they?

Hi Nzira - you are a long way away! Welcome to the site - hope you can stick with us, people are so friendly and very helpful on any gardening questions. Would be interesting to see your plants, too. Bet your weather is better than ours...:-)

The stand looks amazing! No wonder you won...

Thanks maple - I like them, too, but having seen deep blue ones (almost purple) at RHS Rosemoor, I'll be searching for those!

That raises a question - is a garden ever finished? My husband is always asking and I am always 'tweaking' and finding room for 'just one more'!!! Grass is always growing, isn't it. Most inconvenient!