Oxford Botanic Garden in early February

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Today I attended a course at Oxford Botanic Garden, and during the break for lunch, took the opportunity to take a quick look round.

I had seen this iris on the way in

Euphorbias come in all shapes and sizes. This one, euphorbia rigida, was planted on the top of the rock garden; the stone under it obviously holding some heat, and bringing it into flower

I planted ribes laurifolium in my own garden last year. I hope it does as well as this plant

Here is a close-up of the flowers

Even edgeworthia chrysantha was coming into bloom a month early

While this witch hazel was obviously happy

And this alstroemeria thought it was still summer

When there are not many flowers around, you tend to notice foliage more. I’m not a fan of buddleias, but the leaves of buddleia glomerata are distinctive

In a sheltered corner, the new shoots of photinia serrulata were starting to grow

I also liked the elongated leaves on this epimedium

Quillaja saponaria is a new plant to me. It’s a tree from central Chile, and the inner bark can be reduced to a powder and then mixed with water, when it forms a lather used as a substitute for soap

Of course, there were lots of snowdrops. This one looked especially vigorous

As well as specimen clumps, they were used to give colour in borders at this time of year. In the shade they are mixed with winter aconites

And with crocuses in the sun

Then it was back out of the cold wind, and back to the course

• 8 Feb, 2014
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