What a Difference a Day Makes
Wherever we live in the UK, there are a magical few days when our gardens are transformed. The end of winter is in sight. At first the changes are tiny and hardly noticed. Plants push themselves inquisitively above the surface of the soil, for their first taste of chilly fresh air and weak sunlight. Tiny buds begin to swell and open, transforming bare branches with tiny spots of colour. These are isolated moments, full of promise that we silently register, while getting on with day-to-day life. And then, almost overnight, they reach a tipping point. They begin to coalesce into a thin veneer of springtime that seems, to me at least, to spread a gloss of gardening excitement everywhere.
A near-by flowerbed that I walk past almost daily, has gone from nothing to a small sea of beautiful yellow Eranthis hyemalis flowers, in a matter of just a few days.
The snowdrops are late this year, but there is now a large patch opposite the Eranthis, that seem to have come from nowhere. Many are now in full flower, growing beneath a dwarf weeping willow (Salix caprea). The willow too has joined the race and suddenly has many buds, beginning to burst into life.
The shape of the willow perfectly bookends the flowerbed at this time of year and I know from previous years that it will soon be covered in wonderful yellow furry buds loaded with pollen that will attract bees and other insects from all around. I also know that this same bed will soon be transformed by lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis). In a couple of months its sharp dark green leaves will be the dominant plant below the open hedging, providing both colour and scent during flowering, followed by a few small red berries in autumn. But for now there are more Helebores in flower and even the odd Scilla sibirica.
On the opposite side of the road, three birch trees (Betula jaquemontii), with silver-white bark, are now surrounded by a woodland bed of Hellebore foliage dotted with pretty purple and creamy-white flowers, with yet more snowdrops poking through. There was very little to be seen there only a couple of weeks ago.
Gardens never stand still. As gardeners, we know when and how our plants should grow. But trying to picture the ever-changing world of plant combinations, in even a small garden, is difficult. Many gardeners focus their minds on the period of flowering, but plants offer so much more, their stems and foliage growing and filling out as they reach their flowering maturity. But this is just one part of their total journey. For our long-suffering biodiversity, it is the whole-life of the plant that matters and this is what SeeHow shows.
The above Text and all Photographs are copyright of Wincenty (Wicek) Sosna. Please contact SeeHow for permission to reproduce in any way, in part or as the complete text.