Spring Flowers

The garden is so alive. It is full of blossom on trees, shrubs, growing in the borders and even in the lawn. This year started with primroses, they have such pretty, pale faces and the most exquisite scent ever, to bury my face in a bunch of these and breathe in their perfume is one of my greatest pleasures. Quickly following were snowdrops, they are such a tiny plant and so delicate looking yet their very stalwartness as they rise up from icy, frosted ground puts me to shame. Oh, that I were that hardy. Pulmonarias with their unusual white spotted green leaves and pretty pink and blue flowers on the same plant have been in bloom for more than two weeks.

Great swathes of pale through to deep pink and white hellibores are delighting us and are still picturesque after many weeks. Hundreds of purple, mauve, yellow and white crocus of all shapes and sizes are also pleasing us. The great joy of crocus is that you plant one corm and in return have several flowers, while over the years new corms grow all around the original one, then you have the wonderful choice of either letting them grow into massive groups or digging the group up, splitting them, then replanting any and everywhere as these eye catching plants seem very happy to grow in any position. They will also seed themselves, thereby adding to their own numbers.

Subtly the garden has changed and we now seem to have a preponderance of yellow when we look out of the window. Low down this is due to the many varieties of narcissus in varying shapes and shades, there are even some with pink trumpets. Swiftly following on is forsythia, once again the shape and shade variable dependent on the variety. Deep lemon yellow tulips are scattered about the bank and the cowslips are out in force, not just yellow, but also orange and deep red.

While the forsythia was still flowering the camelias, magnolias and blossom trees came into bloom, the late narcissus are still putting on a good show and the lawn is of course thickly carpeted by daisies and dandelions.

The days are passing and this morning I was surprised to see from the window blue and violet also, the blue was from bluebells while the honesty supplied the violet. I realised today that forsythia under planted with honesty is a startling and beautiful combination.

The plum, cherry, apples and pear trees are all in blossom. While sitting snugly in all sorts of little holes all over the lawn and garden is the pretty little violet.

I am wondering if this garden is at its best in the spring.