Surprise discoveries in Fox Rosehill Gardens

 

I am not a great lover of winter, I do not look forward to
its arrival with joy. At best it offers a rest from the activity of the other
seasons. With shorter days and generally uninviting weather I spend more time
indoors. One of my favourite places to visit in Falmouth during winter is Fox
Rosehill gardens. Its collection of plants from around the world ensures the
gardens provide something of interest throughout the year. In this short film I
explore some of its attractions as I explored the gardens in early December.

 

Fox Rosehill Gardens, Falmouth - Plants flowering in Winter

I confess that it is my interested in bumblebees that draws me to Fox Rosehill Garden each winter. The garden's various varieties of Mahonia are pretty well guaranteed to attract winter active buff-tailed bumblebees from November through to the end February. While a bumblebee visit to a Mahonia flower is almost certain, some days entail quite a lot of waiting for a visitor to arrive. This allows me to take a look at its other attractions.

The garden is home to a variety of exotic plants from around the world. Quite a few of these flower during in the winter. I am not very knowledgeable on ornamental plants but with help from Robbie Blackhall- Miles from Fossil Plants and Helen Brown at Little Ash Gardens I have managed to put a name to the plants in my photos.

Bumblebee on Mahonia flowers

Fuchsia microphylla

Amaryllis belladonna

Impatiens tinctoria

Sparmannia africana

Correa glabra var. turnbullii

Salvia corrugata

brugmansia x Lutea

Clerodendrum trichotomum
- these are fruits not its flowers

Lambertia formosa