UK Edition: Valley Gardens

{Try listening to this song while you read this post. (Scratch that, I don't think there is a way to upload it. Hmm, here's an alternative: Go to iTunes store or Amazon music and preview Snow Patrol, The Finish Line. I had it on repeat the entire time writing it. I watched the movie The Nines tonight and it was on during the credits so I downloaded it and had to listen to it. On repeat. For an hour. That's what I do. A lot.)}

Need a refresher on UK Edition posts? Remember, I'm in Harrogate, England for two months.

Yesterday evening, Sunday, my friend and I walked through Valley Gardens for a bit before supper time. I wanted to take my sister's super awesome Nikon D3000 camera to take pictures of some of the plants and flowers we had seen two nights before while walking through the garden for a supposed "short cut." (I say "short cut" because I think it was actually longer to go through the garden. But whatever, it was the locals that took us on the short cut so they must be right, right?) I'm glad I did! The lighting was pretty nice for taking pictures - that is, if you ask my armature self. It was early evening and the sun was hiding behind the clouds most of the time so there weren't a ton of shadows. Just enough light to illuminate the greens and capture a simple shot.

According to the website for Valley Gardens, it is located on seventeen acres of land. It is
filled with trees, flowers and other plants; a band stage where music is played Sunday afternoons during the summer months; there is playground equipment and a skate park for the younger, more energetic folk; and historical buildings such as the Sun Pavilion and Colonnades. It was beautiful.

One of my favorite plants (you'll soon see why!) is called Gunnera, which I found on a BBC Gardening website after googling "giant rhubarb plant." This plant is huge! And it literally is like giant rhubarb. It says it can grow to 280 cm tall and 400 cm wide. That's about 9 feet by 13 feet! This thing is massive!

I could stare at it and take pictures of it all day. In fact, I kind of did. I was under this thing and inside of it. No, I didn't touch it but I really wanted to. Ok, I take that back. It did snag my hair, three times, while trying to walk out from underneath it. I probably looked like a total crazy person taking pictures of it because I was doing the whole photographer-in-crazy-body-positions thing. I didn't mind. I got these great pictures and it was all worth it!

Apologies for all the pictures - I just think this plant (and camera!) are so awesome.

Come see it for yourself! ;)