A quick paean to the glories of Kenwood in May – the rhodedendrons and azaleas and the handkerchief tree. The big lawn to the west of Kenwood House is entirely surrounded by mature camellias, magnolias, rhodedendrons and azaleas – so in April and May it is a delight to behold. Apart from the surrounding trees …
Horse chestnuts
After the rains
After the drought of April the heath’s flora have been revelling in the rains of the last few weeks – and none more so than the nettles which have all but enveloped the new dead hedge on my path down from Hampstead Lane. Here it is a mere ten days ago. I had not actually …
Beautiful – but dangerous…
Yes, those horse chestnuts are beautiful but – for those who suffer from pollen allergies, as Jacquie pointed out in a comment, they are lethal…. Normally it is male plants that are particularly dangerous for pollen sufferers. But horse chestnuts have perfect flowers, which mean that they are both male and female – so are …