One of the problems with taking photos of plants is getting the colours right.

This is especially the case with a mobile phone. This blog is supposed to be minimal effort, which means no SLR, no uploads and downloads, no editing.

A lot of the earlier photos were taken with a trusty Samsung S7 – but I upgraded to a Fairphone 4 about a year ago and I’ve been really really impressed with the camera.

I can adjust the colour balance quite finely with the camera app (Note I downloaded a different a new camera app, it’s not the standard google camera app!) and it really pays off with some of the flowers, particularly the blues.

Compare and contrast the standard colour and the one with adjustments in shutter speed, white balance and focus.

This is the Blue danube azalea, a newcomer this year. I wouldn’t call it blue exactly, but we will allow the growers some poetic licence perhaps, because I’ve seen the Danube many times, and that’s not blue either.

Other things starting to come alive in the garden right now are this wild form Rhododendron with delightful leaves and thes beautiful white owners that open from a pink bud

Probably my favourite Rhododendron of all, polar bear. A silky rippling bloom and a mouth-water fragrance that soaks the whole garden on a tall tree. Just perfect.