Determined to take some time out in my garden this weekend I spent yesterday in waterproofs huddled in the shelter of a big beech hedge which proved that it is, as the books say, the best windbreak.
How welcome then to see a few rays of sunshine this afternoon after weeks of wet, but it’s been mild wet mostly so there’s movement in the garden already, buds are breaking and I definitely heard a marked change in the birdsong that was such a joy I wanted to sing with them.
Apart from the Helleborus, incredibly beautiful but oddly blowsey for the season, most of the flowers are small, a bit spidery and seemingly insignificant but I love them for their delicacy and such surprisingly strong perfume. Just one Sarcococca in full bloom is enough to scent the air for yards around itself and if I hadn’t been on hands and knees to get the most intense nose full I wouldn’t have spotted the tiny Viola peeping through the carpet of leaves.
Most winter flowers are easy to grow, their demands of us are different, our enjoyment of them depends on our engagement with the garden and our interest in its plants and for me that’s a pleasure whatever the weather.
