Ness Botanic Garden

One of the highlights of being at college is the garden visits, when each Thursday of the fortnight we’re there; we cast off in the old minibus in search of garden glory and inevitably, a decent slice of cake! During the last college block we visited Ness Botanic Gardens in Cheshire, overlooking the Dee Estuary. The garden started out as the home of a chap called Arthur Bulley, who went on to launch the career of plant collector George Forrest and through his company Bees Ltd, was the first to sell seeds to the masses with his ‘penny packets’. The garden is now run by the University of Liverpool and is a really rather charming place to while away a few hours. The plant collection is magnificent!

Poncirus trifolata



Phuopsis stylosa, giving off a delightfully unusual scent



These greedy devils are using both Wisteria and Laburnum in their arched walk



The startling blue of Meconopsis grandis

A honey bee, pondering

Cornus kousa



A young bumblebee in the clutches of Cercis silliquastrum

Like a shoal of tropical fish!