Many grey days recently but the sunny days are splendid like on Knocking Hoe in the week.

 Amazing how this rambling rose has become so vigorous in such a small pot. And this photo was taken after I gave it a hard prune to reduce its size by about 50%.   

 David Austin has this to say about choosing a pot for a climbing or rambling rose: 

 "It must be large enough to accommodate an extensive root system, support a tall framework, and retain moisture without becoming waterlogged. Choose a container that measures at least 60cm (2ft) wide and deep, holding a minimum of 100 litres of compost".

 Good advice which doesn't seem to apply to this particular rose!

 In a way the perfect day to walk out into the blue. A cool, fresh breeze yet I could feel the warmth of winter sun on my face. I lingered awhile on the slopes of Knocking Hoe communing with eternity.

 

 Uncommon wildflowers, part one. In fact I'm not really a seeker of rare species. I'm very happy to see drifts of Rosebay Willowherb along railway embankments or woods full of Bluebells or a lawn infested with Self-Heal.

 Nonetheless it is a thrill to come across a rarity. Case in point Ivy Broomrape (Orobanche hederae) grows in great profusion in the grounds of Benslow Music School in Hitchin. That is surprising because Brian Sawford describes it as "one of Hertfordshire's rarest wildflowers" in his great book 'Wildflower Habitats of Hertfordshire' published in 1990.  

 He noted that it was "unexpectedly discovered in a churchyard in northern Hertfordshire" in 1984. Furthermore he states that "These are the only colonies of this normally maritime species ever known from the county, and the only location in the whole of the Eastern part of Britain, north of the River Thames."  

 Quite when or how O. hederae arrived at Benslow is a mystery. It's flourishing here to the extent that it's really quite common in this particular locale.

 Happy to report that giant Echiums are starting to colonise my street in south London. These are E. wildpretii in my neighbour's front garden. They are the progeny of one I grew in my front garden a number of years ago. 

 Hailing from the Canary Islands they are triennial i.e. a seedling/rosette appears in the first year, then puts on about a metre of growth in the second year, then raises the towering spike of flowers in the third year. After flowering the whole plant dies having dropped copious amounts of seed.

 The blue flowered E. pininana is well established in the back gardens and wildpretii will hopefully do the same at the front. 

 

 Clear blue sky. Cold clean air. Bright red berries.

 

 An early Christmas card. Here is Misletoe (Viscum album) on next door's apple tree.