We have a huge rhododendron on the side of our driveway. The picture (above) doesn’t do justice to it. We can only reach the lower branches to prune it. Another strange thing about it is that, at a quick glance, it looks as though three different colored blossoms are growing on the same tree. This isn’t actually the case. If you look carefully there are three distinct trunks, the branches of which have all grown together. Below the red blossoms, and the purple blossoms. I don’t seem to have taken a picture of the third.

Taken with a Sony A77II and Minolta 50mm f2.8 Macro.

Otherwise known as mountain laurel. It’s quite beautiful, but apparently highly toxic. Since we found out we’ve tried to keep our dog away from it – just in case.

According to Wikipedia:

Mountain laurel is poisonous to several different animals, including horses, goats, cattle, deer, monkeys, and humans, due to grayanotoxin and arbutin. The green parts of the plant, flowers, twigs, and pollen are all toxic, including food products made from them, such as toxic honey that may produce neurotoxic and gastrointestinal symptoms in humans eating more than a modest amount. Symptoms of toxicity begin to appear about 6 hours following ingestion. Symptoms include irregular or difficulty breathing, anorexia, repeated swallowing, profuse salivation, watering of the eyes and nose, cardiac distress, incoordination, depression, vomiting, frequent defecation, weakness, convulsions, paralysis, coma, and eventually death. Necropsy of animals who have died from spoonwood (Note: an alternative name) poisoning show gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.

In an earlier post (See: More than just roses in our garden) I pointed out that, contrary to the impression you might get, there are flowers in our garden that aren’t roses. Here are a few more. In this case two peonies.

The first one is taken with a Sony A77II and Minolta 50mm f2.8 macro and the second with a Sony RX-100 M3.

According to the David Austin Site:

Very similar to ‘Comte de Chambord’ with more perfect blooms, but not such a regular repeat flowerer. It bears large, shapely rosettes, each with a button eye at the centre, and has the same clear, rich pink colouring, fading a little with age. There is a very strong, rich fragrance. The growth is compact and erect with light green Damask foliage. Very healthy, tough and reliable.

Presumably named after Jacques Cartier, the famous explorer.

Taken with a Sony A77II and Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f2.8 Macro.