A wintry Harlow Carr

My latest visit to RHS Harlow Carr Gardens was just before Christmas, on a bitterly cold though bright day. Of course, our gardens are dormant right now - though the birds certainly weren't. I saw lots of robins, many of them quite bold and happy to pose despite my camera lens being aimed in their direction. The wooden sculpture's nose provided a handy perch! The thrushes, on the other hand, were more skittish. The one in my photo below is a song thrush. They used to be as common as anything in my youth but I seem rarely to see them these days so it was comforting to find a few thriving at Harlow Carr. 

There is not much colour at this time of year, but the Winter Walk has bright dogwood and willow stems mixed among the evergreen shrubs, with a few winter flowering viburnums. 

A new bridge is being constructed over the Queen Mother's Lake. It isn't open yet, and is a curious though not unattractive structure. One side is light fencing and the other has dark posts in irregular spacing. It looks like a barcode to me! The lake was frozen solid, of course. 

Strolling the garden's paths, looking down and looking up, revealed a surprising richness of texture, shape and even colour. Blue skies arching above made a good backdrop for the treetops, looking ethereal without their leaves, though when the sun catches the branches they can be surprisingly radiant with gentle tonal variations.