hi, good to meet you
About me
My name is Virginia Oakes and I love plants! Plants are beautiful and fascinating. From enormous trees to microscopic duckweed they have evolved to live in every corner of the earth and in every environment.
I like looking at them and appreciating their beauty but I also enjoy finding out all about them, where they come from, how they got their name, all the people who have been involved with their culture, to which family they belong, and why they look as they do.
I like to take a closer look. I like to see plants in detail.
I also enjoy taking photographs of plants. Each one is a snapshot – perhaps of the subtle shading of the colour in a petal, of the unfurling of a leaf, of a bare tree in winter or of a stamen releasing its pollen. It gives a moment’s glimpse into the intricate life of a plant.
Or I might use my photographs to record a visit to a beautiful garden, capturing plants in a particular season or setting.
I like to catch the moment. I like to look from every angle. I like to snap the detail.
I live and garden on the south east coast of England, in the UK. This is one of the driest areas of the UK, with an average rainfall of about 700mm, and one of the warmest. Summer is usually warm and dry and only sometimes do we experience a harsh winter. My garden also has a dry sandy soil so I grow plants that suit all these conditions. But I also love to visit other gardens to enjoy plants that I don’t grow.
If you also love plants and like what you see, then read on and, maybe, subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media so you see when I publish a new post.
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