Monday 6 February 2012

Winter sunshine - a different quality of light

Here in the UK we have been experiencing a spell of really cold weather (by our standards...), but here in Fleet at least we have had a few hours of bright sunshine each day too. Winter sunshine is not like the burning heat of Summer sunshine. Even in its full glare it hardly warms you at all - but it looks nice.

In the morning the sunlight is "thin" and brassy. Not enough warmth in it yet to melt the frost on the grass. The still air in the distance here is full of steam rising from people's central-heating vents. (Very few people burn coal any more, so it's not smoke).



Here the morning sun shines through one of the cloches, illuminating the complex frost patterns:


I think you will understand why I grow Raspberries along this fence, which faces South-East.


This is the morning light catching the Rosemary bushes that you can just see in the foreground of the picture above. Rosemary is a native of the Mediterranean, so it will be wanting to soak up as much sunshine as it can get. It hates cold, wet conditions.


In the late afternoon the light is different. There is a certain quality about the light which makes everything glow, and the intensity of the colours seems to get turned up a notch or two. At this time of day the sunlight comes streaming round the side of my house and illuminates a patch of Dogwood plants in my border, almost as if they were under a spotlight:

Dogwood at the back, Olive at front left

Let me zoom in...




I hadn't consciously thought about the afternoon sun when I planted those Dogwoods, but in retrospect I'm very glad I chose that position for them.

This Fern (Dryopteris Erythrosora) looks pretty green in normal light, but when the afternoon sun falls on it, it is bathed in gold.


In amongst the shingle around the tree-trunks, little Crocuses are poking their heads up. They won't open up unless the sunlight falls directly on them.


Yes, it looks nice, but I'm still very glad I'm sitting indoors with a nice warm cup of coffee while I write this!

17 comments:

  1. It does look nice and I know exactly how you feel. Even when it is so cold the sun coming out will make all the difference in your day. Today we are having a dreary cloudy day.

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  2. I think you chose the perfect place for the dogwoods. We've had a day of sunshine here but it hasn't been strong enough to melt the snow.

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  3. god I love that morning light... I love the blue-ness of it, especially with snow on the ground, it's just so pure!

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  4. No sun here today at all just freezing fog - so appreciate your pictures all the more.

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  5. Your garden is beautiful, even in winter; Love those red dogwood trees; they don't like it here, too hot, dry and alkaline. But rosemary loves it, along with many other herbs.

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  6. You are so right Mark, it DOES look nice from inside with a cuppa! Those are wonderful photos too.......I love gardens through all the seasons, they always have a beauty whatever the time of year.
    Karen

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  7. I do like a cold and sunny winter day (but.. not too many of them) The dogwood looks great, I think I might have to indulge but I'll have to find the right place for it.

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  8. I do miss crisp frosty sunny mornings so thanks for reminding me.
    We used to have dogwood plants in our garden when we lived in Scotland and they always put on a good show in the winter sunlight (yep we did see the sun at times whilst there)
    You are in the best place with your cuppa keeping cosy ~ maybe I should send everyone some summer sunshine photos through to warm the cockles ;D

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  9. I adore that first photo; you are right, winter's light gives another dimension to the garden..as you have shown with your beautiful photos. The dogwoods just glow!

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  10. How do you manage to get your garden to look so desirable in winter? Mine looks very brown and very sludgy at the moment.

    The dogwood colours are stunning!

    Martin

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  11. The dogwood is fab! With recent cold weather, the morning and afternoon light has been really good (great to have some sunshine)... much better than grey skies and rain! Like your crocus photo!

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  12. I do think crocus are lovely, very pretty little plants and smart too - knowing not to bother to come out unless theres a bit of sun.

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  13. The poet in you is sneaking out Mark, We have that fern too - reddish new fronds?

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  14. So pretty, so green. The dogwoods are especially fetching!

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  15. Mark as usual you make me long for my little patch of green back in Sussex! Your dogwoods are stunning and the ferns look magical.... BTW, I've nominated you for an award... Hope you like it! lol x

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  16. Lovely pictures. But I liked the picture of the frost patterns the most; seems so exotic to me.

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