After the long grey winter it’s time to start thinking about the garden again. 

Actually, the winter hasn’t been too bad this year, largely thanks to a three week trip to the Southern Hemisphere, of which more another time, if I ever get a round to it… 

On our return from holiday the first snowdrops and snowflakes were creeping through, followed by a mass of winter aconite, Eranthis.

These have now finished and when I came home after a few days away with work, the garden is 

awash with gorgeous blue stars, Chionodoxa luciliae.    

It’s a truly uplifting sight.

The daffodils have also started to come through. We started with the little tete a tetes, a miniature early variety which we have planted in pots and window boxes as well as a number that seem to be growing in the garden. I love the rich golden color, especially in the low evening light, which finally, finally, is now reaching our rather sheltered and sunken back garden. It’s really a sign that life is returning to the garden.

   
 
There’s also this rather nice bi-colored variety in full bloom today . 

  
And the constant in the garden all spring have been these beautiful hellebores. The advantage of these is that to thoroughly appreciate them you have to get down to their level as the flower heads nod downwards. It made me appreciate the beautiful squeaky succulent glaucous foliage of the sedums in the foreground of the picture above. Their little mini-cabbage head hold beads of water, I would never have otherwise spotted.

 
The Spring flowers will be with us for some weeks yet. I have been pretty stressed out and busy at work for the last few months and sometimes, in combination with the busyness of family life it starts to feel just too much. However I have been forcing myself to slow down and to take a stroll round the garden and to really, really look. It is helping massively in keeping it all in perspective. 

I have read about the Therapeutic effects of Nature before, I am unsure how reliable the science is d of course this just one anecdote, but it does seem to help me.

Anyway, after this little ambling diversion, back to work….