My favourite bit

With each passing season, the 'centres of interest' at Harlow Carr change - spring bulbs and blossom give way to the colours of summer in the borders and the russet tints of autumn in the woodland, and then the bright stems and wonderful fragrances along the winter walk. 

There's one small area, however, that I love in all seasons. I've come to realise it's actually my top favourite bit, and so I always make time to wander through. It is the 'nectar alley' in the teaching garden; just two, quite small, borders, with a meandering path between them, strewn with grey stone chippings. It's planted with perennial grasses that sway and ripple in the breeze and in each season it has little pops of bright colour from various plants: cone flowers, teasels, black-eyed susan, lavender, hyssop and verbena bonariensis are just some of those that pop up. 

I find it really inspiring photographically, whether that is trying to capture the complex sweep of plants or individual plant 'portraits'.