Tag: Spring

Bluebells in February?

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These plants are growing outside in a box and my husband bought them in to show me as my cold is no better and I haven’t been outside because I feel too poorly.

What are they? They look like bluebells but they are not curved over like British ones. They might be Spanish bluebells which grow upright, with thicker stems. But bluebells don’t normally flower till April or May? Also the flowers are sticking out sideways. I guess they are actually a form of hyacinth? They don’t have many bells on them but they do smell like hyacinths. On the other hand they are not like the ones we had on the windowsill and are nothing like grape hyacinths that we sometimes grow in the spring.

So my question is to any gardeners out there…. What are they?

Rode Hall snow drop walk.

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Gallanthus, the Latin name for Snowdrops. They are out in force at Rode Hall gardens near Scholar Green, on the North Staffordshire/ Cheshire border. It’s off the A34 between Stoke-on-Trent and Congleton. The snowdrops are in flower right now and you can buy little bags of them (in the green) wjuch means you get bulbs with the leaves and flowers and you plant them directly into the ground under trees so they can spread out. They have many different sorts of the flowers that brighten the grounds of the hall. The snowdrop walks are on till March 3rd? And open till 4pm.

We walked through the grounds and gardens of the hall. Winding paths lead through bushes and trees, up and down little hills and slopes, past pools and woven willow sculptures down to the lake at the end of the longest path. There you can see a wooded island where Herons are starting to nest. I got blurry shots of four herons flying around the tree tops.

Back up past the hall we had a meal and coffee at the cafe and then on to an old barn to see an Exhibition by three local art groups that is on till the start of March.

It’s great to get out into the world and see it changing. The snowdrops were in such great clumps on the ground that it truly did look like they were patches of snow under the bare trees. It’s a great place to explore.

 

Waiting

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Waiting for Spring. On days like today when the clouds seem to want to dump all its rain in one go.

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The rain comes down like stair rods, whatever they are? The wind buffets the trees and the grey sky gets darker. In fact it’s so dull we have the living room light on to dispel the gloom.

Waiting for warmer weather, instead of sitting with the central heating on full blast and sitting next to a small oil heater for extra warmth.

Waiting to go out. When the squall subsides I might go out and get into the very fresh air… And breathe…..

Waiting for crocuses. The snowdrops are already in flower. That short few weeks where their brilliant white and green dots the ground and lightens the mood. Then daffodils and later tulips and finally bluebells, before the canopy of trees grows over and spreads its leaves across the garden.

Then it’s shade is dappled with sunlight. Then the wait will be over