‘Botanical Liverpool’ series: Painting No.2

“Red Hibiscus Entwined with White Jasmine Vine”

At The Palm House, Sefton Park

Original watercolour on Arches Smooth paper.

Size 74cm x 53cm.

Part of a series of paintings of significant and iconic plants from across the Liverpool region.

The paintings will be exhibited in 2025. Limited edition giclee prints are available.

Sefton Palm House, described as a ‘Showcase for the Wonders of the World, ’ houses an incredible collection of exotic plants. Designed as a temperate greenhouse, or winter garden when it opened in 1896 it housed exotic plants from all over the world. The plants were chosen not only for their looks and scent, but also to showcase the discoveries of Victorian explorers. There were plants for medicines, fibres, food and dyes, all useful to Britain’s rapidly developing industries and population.

The Palm House is free to visit and has a lovely cafe where you can sit immersed in the incredible collection of plants.

I chose to paint this Red Hibiscus for its outstanding colour and prolific growing habit. In this work, I sought to capture the strength of the fine woody stems which reach strongly both upright and horizontally. I particularly like the supsension of the long stems which were entwined with White Jasmine vine. The huge blousey red blooms speak for themselves and it was a real challenge to accurately capture the precise colours.

In Tahitian and Hawaiian tradition a woman might wear a Hibiscus bloom behind the ear - behind the left if she already has a partner or behind the right if she is single. The collection also houses some wonderful double-headed pale pink Hibiscus which I also hope to paint.