First Glimpses of Spring

As I sit here writing my January blog, the sky outside is grey and overcast. It seemed to take forever to get light this morning, and although the evenings have started to draw out, it will still be dark by 5pm.

Like many people, I find that January can be rather a depressing month, and I just yearn for the first signs that winter is almost over, and that spring will soon be here – with its new life, hope, freshness and light. So, my heart leapt the other day when I saw a Witch Hazel in full flower in a client’s garden. And wandering around my own garden, the Snowdrops are out, and I have a few early Primroses. Plants like Sarcococca also seem early to flower this year, with their heady perfume. And, of course, Hazels are full of catkins.

Maybe, we all need to plant a few late winter / early spring flowering plants in our garden, not just to bring early colour, but to lift our spirits too.  And also, of course, to provide much needed early food for bees. Plants like:

Bulbs

Perennials

Small shrubs / sub-shrubs

Larger shrubs & hedging

Whilst some of these plants may seem rather uninspiring at other times of the year, in late winter, a few of these are invaluable in any garden. If you already have some of them, take a look outside… through the gloom and the drizzle, you might just find that some early signs Spring will soon be here.

Image credits: Snowdrops, Iris Reticulata, Winter aconites, Primroses, Hellebores, Pullmonaria, Erica carnea, Sarcococca, Daphne, Forsythia, Lonicera, Hamamelis mollis, Cornus mas, Prunus spinosa.