Narrow path between flower beds
England,  Flowers,  Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries

Gallery: some favourite English flowers

October 17, 2022 / 35 Comments

Flowers are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty out values all the utilities in the world

Ralph Waldo Emerson

For this week’s Lens Artists challenge Ann-Christine has asked us to share some of our favourite flowers. What a lovely idea for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere to indulge in a bit of flower worship as we approach the winter, when flowers will be few and far between. It’s great to be reminded that flowers will bloom again (and again and again…)

Pale trumpet shaped flower with an insect inside
White tulip with purple streaks
Large pale yellow rose
Delicate white flower on a leafy stem
Delicate pale pink flower on a bush

There are always flowers for those who want to see them

Henri Matisse

In the last few years, with the batterings the world has taken – Covid, war in Ukraine, prices spiralling – flowers have been among the constants that have kept many people’s spirits up. The pandemic in particular reminded many of us to value the little pleasures of life. And what gives more pleasure for its size than a flower?

Our lockdown walks took us through city parks or country meadows. Our gardens became even more important for the havens they offered. A vase of flowers brightened our interiors when much of the outside world was inaccessible.

Where flowers bloom so does hope

Lady Bird Johnson
Five-petaled mauve flower with lots of stamens
Clusters of pale mauve flowers against a brick wall
Lots of small mauve flowers
Mauve daisy-like flower
Cluster of small mauve flowers

If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett

I’m interpreting Ann-Christine’s brief as ‘favourite flower photographs’ rather than ‘favourite flowers’. But these photos do include many of my favourites: poppies, roses (especially dog roses), camellias, wisteria and cherry blossom. Mostly I’m drawn to pinks and purples, especially the latter, but poppies are of course an exception to that. I love soft yellow roses too and in complete contrast the often-dramatic colours of tulips.

Orange flower with an insect
Delicate red flower against a blurred backdrop
Red flower on a hairy stem
Bright orange-red flower
Red flower among green leaves
Yellow flower and yellow bud
Red flower with yellow centre and background of small blue flowers

I love to photograph flowers when I travel, and you will find them in many of my posts. But I thought today I would restrict myself to my own country. Many of the photos on this page were taken either close to home in Ealing (in our own garden, those of neighbours or parks) or in other parts of London. The rest are from areas of England that we’ve visited in the past few years, on day trips or short breaks away.

Click on any photo in any gallery to open a slideshow and see where each photo was taken, if interested.

Deep pink flower and blue sky
Pink blossom on a tree
Lots of vivid mauve flowers
Lots of vivid pink flowers
Deep pink flower on a bush

35 Comments

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