My roving eye

I love to wander the gardens at Harlow Carr and just see what catches my eye each time I visit. There's usually something I haven't noticed before or something that I suddenly see in a new way. It may be the colours that attract me or the way the light falls. I'm never sure that anyone else would either 'see' these things or even appreciate them, but it's something that gives me a great deal of pleasure. 

I must have passed the big stone pot (above) many times, and the foliage around it looks quite dead right now (though no doubt it will burst into new growth sometime soon). Nevertheless, something about it struck me as rather beautiful... the way the light catches it, the contrast of smooth and rough, the harmony of neutral tones.   

In contrast, the shrub below (whose name I'm not sure about.. possibly a mahonia japonica?) seemed like a bonfire or a firework, with its colourful leaves catching the sunlight. 

Last time I went to Harlow Carr, I mentioned the new bridge across the lake (which I said reminded me of a barcode! see HERE). Well, it's open now and the struts at one side of are made of a weathering steel (I think) which is designed to rust. From the inside, the warmth of the rust looks splendid against the cool toned water in the background. I got a few funny looks as I stopped to photograph it though! 

I find the grasses in the 'teaching garden' endlessly fascinating: 

Dogwood and willow stems mirror each other in shape whilst having very different colours: 

Finally, a plant with tiny, shiny leaves was reflecting the sun as though each highlight was a little LED bulb. I played around with defocussing my lens, just for fun.