On a recent visit to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, I spotted some very unusally shaped plants – they looked like towers with all sorts of curved spokes or branches coming out at the bottom. Needless to say, I had to head over and photograph them!

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

It turns out that these fascinating plants are called Tower of Jewels (echium wildpretii). They are a member of the borage family, and grow in the Canary islands.

As I looked at the Towers of Jewels, I was amazed at the way the flowers and leaves curved around the plants.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

The details of the Tower of Jewels were amazing – little red and pink flowers with white tips, small green leaves and longer light green curved leaves.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

That same morning, I photographed another member of the Echium genus. The Pride of Madeira (echium candicans) had clusters of little blue flowers seemingly moving upward in a never ending spiral.

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

(c) 2009 Patty Hankins

The Tower of Jewels and Pride of Madeira are among the most incredible flowers I’ve photographed so far at Longwood Gardens. I never know quite what to expect or what I’ll find to photograph at Longwood – I just know there will be something spectacular.