Sarah Griffiths

@communitea.bsky.social

1580 Followers 1891 Following

Head gardener and neglectful allotmenteer in Aberdeen, Scotland. Knits and sleeps a lot.

Large headed sunflower with bumblebee and honeybee
Yellow primrose growing through a gap in a wooden fence.
Dwarf Narcissus growing in a rough lawn that has a sprinkling of snow
Spring blooms in blues, yellows and white. Clockwise from top left: Scilla forbesii, Scilla bifolia rosea, Narcissus ‘Elka’, Muscari latifolium, Prunus sp., Scilla siberica, Narcissus ‘Little Emma’, Scilla ‘Pink Giant’, Erythronium dens-canis
Grid of 9 allotment photos. From top left: strawberry harvest, nasturtiums growing rampantly through my fence, pumpkin plants planted in a compost bin, winning sweet peas, giant Potimarron pumpkin, newly dug pond, a profusion of flowers, plastic bottle cloches, and me, weeding
9 different willows - stems and catkins in shades of yellow, green, scarlet and purple. Clockwise from top left: Salix aegyptaica, S. alba ‘Chermisina’, Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’, Salix melanostachys, Cornus alba sibirica, S. daphnoides, Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’, C. stoloifera ‘Flaviramea’ and C. alba ‘Kesselringii’
A lime green caterpillar on a twig
Two small blue iris in the late winter garden
View across a snowy garden, looking at some large clumps of grasses in the foreground and greenhouses behind. The sky is blue with some fluffy clouds.
Small group of a pale blue Iris, with some pale pink Erica carnea R. B. Cooke in between. The pale colours are set against the dark earth.
Snowdrops, cyclamen and a wee bit of winter aconite in amongst some leaf litter in the garden
Winter aconites (Eranthis hyemelis), bursting out of the ground. Their zesty lemon yellow buds and green leaves contrast against the mottled browns of the ground beneath them.
Close up of a plume of ornamental grass. There are drops of rain at the end of each spikelet, the sky behind is a warm, gold.
A large Birch tree completely covered in frozen snow.
Snowy view of trees in the sunshine. The branches in the foreground are thickly covered with snow and the distance shows the sun casting a faint golden light on other snow-clad trees.
Snowy photo of a jumble of trees. The snow is so thick the photo is mostly white with just traces of the trunk and branches visible
A drop of water at the end of a branch. You can see an inverted landscape of snow and trees in the droplet
Almost verical lines in black and white: Broom (Cytisus praecox) stems covered in frost and snow.
Lino printed robin standing on a snowy branch- all in black and white except for its red breast
Close up of a black cat sleeping on the back of the sofa
3 photos of the same view of a pond in winter with trees behind. The sun is setting. The one on the left has a fiery red sunset, the middles is a cool blue, with a hint of yellow - the pond is frozen, and the one on the right is a cloudy blue
Photo of a fiery sunset over a pond. The sky is shades of orange and red. The scene is reflected in the still pond, including the leafless weeping Birch.
Looking over the sea to the aurora. The. Nothern lights are a green strip of light above the horizon, with vertical smudges running vertically up into the sky. The lights of north Aberdeen can be seen underneath
Black and white photo of an arch through a Hornbeam hedge. It’s winter and the branches are bare. Above the arch and to the side is a birds nest, which was hidden when the leaves were on.
It is a winter morning and we are looking at a shabby shed. There is melting snow all around - on the path, the roof, the hedge beside us. A large ivy-clad sycamore towers over the shed and behind it’s bare branches is a pink-purple-blue, bruise-coloured sky.
A smallish rectangular stone with a smiling face carved into it, sitting on a moss-covered wall.
2 photos of the same view - a pathed oath runs between glasshouses and potting shed. The left inage is taken in late November, snow is melting and the view is a winter monochrome; the left photo is taken in July and the area is full of colourful pots of dahlias, cosmos, agapanthus and scabious.
A door in a stone wall, on a northern city street (you can’t see, but h the recent snow is melting). The door is painted - blue sky fading to white, dry, cracked yellow-ochre ground and a striking Baobab tree in the centre. There is also, what seems to be a flying whale in the sky.
Frosted flora clockwise from top left: Cornus canadensis leaves in shades of red and green; amber rose leaf; blue Salvia curled flower spike; pale pink rose; small green Hebe leaves and seedhead of Phlomis russeliana.
An orange-pink rose edged with frost
Fine Acer palmatum leaves in warm shades of brown, amber, copper and gold. The leaves in the foreground are in focus, those behond are blurred with a blue-grey background
Clockwise from top left: Some late flowering chrysanthemums - they all have very thin petals, looking like a firework - pale cream Chrysanthemum ‘Capella’, the red autumn leaves of Prunus ‘Snow Showers’, pale yellow C. ‘Cheapeake Primrose’, small vivid yellow flowers of Mahonia x media ‘Charity’, orangy tones C. ‘Coral Reef’, yellow centre, red petals with yellow tips C. ‘Goshu Penta’
Looking up at a large, mature Beech tree. The trunk is wide and the branches are thick and almost horizontal. It’s autumn and the leaves are beginning to turn, the ground underneath is covered with copper coloured leaves.
View of a garden. A wooden bench in the foreground, behind and to the side is an Acer in the sunshine. Some leaves have fallen, giving the grass a golden glow.
A small cluster of ladybirds sheltering in a dry oak leaf. There are 3 red 7-spot ladybirds with a much smaller golden ladybird in the centre.
Close up of the sterile florets of Hydrangea macrophylla. The petals, originally white have become a dusky purple-mauve-plum.
A beech tree wider than it is tall. The sun is shining on its autumn leaves which are a golden-orange. The leaves are deeply toothed than the usual Beech, giving it a shimmering light quality.
Collage from top left: dusky pink ‘petals’ of Hydrangea paniculata, golden autumn leaves of Acer shirasawanum, large glossy deep rich burgundy leaves of Vitis coignetiae, red leaves in the sunlight of Acer palmatum, Acer leaves in the distance, small yellow fruits of Malus x zumi ‘Golden Hornet’
Looking up at a skylight in a ceiling. The surrounding walls are clad in tiers of stems of reed mace (Typha latifolia) hung vertically.
Photo taken of a Japanese garden, looking across a lawn with a stone bench. The surrounding trees are green, but in the centre is a vivid red Japanese Rowan (Sorbus commixta) tree
View over a small lake. The sky is blue and the day is still so the landscape is perfectly reflected in the water. In the distance there is a footbridge and a pagoda. The trees and shrubs are all different shapes, sizes and colours, and in the background you can see some hills.
Sunlight through Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquifolia) in autumn. The leaves are a fiery red
6 stunning autumn colour leaves. Clockwise from top left: Parrotia persica (orange/yellow), Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’ (coral/ pink/red), Physocarpus ‘Ruby Wine’ (deep red), Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ (golden), Physocarpus (burnt orange), Parthenocissus quinquifolia (vivid red)
View across a lawn, looking at the sun through a Birch and red-leaved Oak tree. The shadows are long and the sky is blue.
A colourful garden scene in autumn. A wooden fence with vivid red leaves of Parthenocissus quinquifolia and henryana and Pyracantha ‘Saphyr Orange’; behind is the orange hues of Acer palmatum ’Osakazuki’ and yellow Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’
Autumnal scene, looking through an archway formed by the red leaves of Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’ and Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’. There are other lovely colours of shrubs on either side of the gravel path. There is a lawn in the distance with dappled sunlight.
Looking at a lawn from ground level - trees in the distance and a small red topped fly agaric in the foreground
A soothing photo of an ancient woodland in summer. Everywhere is green - trees, feens and grass. In the centre is a group of foxgloves growing out of a stump.
Clockwise from top left: fluffy pink blossom-like flowers of Calluna vulgaris H E Beale, two-tone pink flowers of perennial Sweet pea, ‘red’ campion Silene dioica, the two-tone pink and green leaves of Vaccinium corymbosum ‘Pink Flamingo’, Nerine and deep pink Cosmos.
4 photos of the leaves of Euonymus alatus taken on the same day. The leaves range from green with a tinge of pink; pink with a hint of green, full on cerise pink with faint white leaf veins visible and knock-your-socks-off magenta red.
Collage of drab photos showing bits of gutter, leaking ceilings, roofing felt, slabs and gravel
Looking up into a majestic Fagus sylvatica. The roots are spilling over rocks - in the centre is a dark hole big enough to crawl into - or out of!
Clockwise from top left: the vivid red and purple leaves of Fothergilla gardenii; the serrated leaves of Prunus ‘Kojo-no-mai’ that are starting to redden up; the tiny yellow fruit of Malus x zumi ‘Golden Hornet’; gorgeous autumn leaves of Parrotia persica all shades of red, yellow and green; the shiny burgundy leaves of Berberis atropurpurea and finally a luminous white Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ with golden stamens.
A white Anemone in the sunlight. The petals are luminous, with a lime green centre and golden yellow stamens. An heirloom variety from the mid 19th century.
It’s a bit hard to describe, but I’ll give it a go. There are 2 faces of houses joined together at a strange angle - one tipped back and one leaning forward. The facade is white, grey and yellow.
Close up of a sunflower head drooping downwards. The petals are long and curled with the sunlight behind them.
5 types of chillies. Clockwise from top left: a dumpy, almost black Hungarian Hot Wax, a U-shaped red Hot Cayenne, a cluster of yellow and red Prairie Fire, a wiggly purple Buena Mulata and a handful of Etna.
2 vivid red flowers of Hesperantha coccinea against a background of green foliage. The red is REALLY red