It’s been a rather colourless day. The sort of day when the overcast sky is off-white, not storm-cloud grey.  A day that’s not warm but not actually cold, not wet but damp rather than dry.  The sort of day when the brightly coloured flowers sing out across the garden, slightly out of tune with the low key weather but all the more welcome for that.

 

These perennial wallflowers (Erysimum) are a subtle shade of dark purple in bud, opening to fresh, bright apricot. (Click for a closer view).

 

The silky, dark petals of the Queen of the Night tulips look almost black on a sunny day, blending into the background.  Today under an overcast sky they stand out as clear spots of plum purple against the lime green Euphorbia.

 

And here’s a garden view from a sunny day last week.  Today the flowers didn’t have to compete for attention with a blue sky.