This morning, a symphony of birdsong drew my sights high above the woodland canopy, to the ice-blue sky. It was there that I spied a crown of Buckthorne in full flower; a profusion of delicate blossom displayed on dark thorny branches. In a bid for survival, amongst the suffocating crop-pines, this steely tree had forced its head high above the neighbouring canopy to bask in the sun's rejuvenative rays. As soon as the hedgerows fill with Mai, the precursor of our delicious sloe berries, it's a sure sign that spring is in full swing!
There is a gentle hand-over between the winter torch bearers; Heather and Hellebore, and the spring's jaunty new arrivals; Blossom and Daffodil. The garden runs her own Olympics each year, botanical athletes performing, under varying conditions, to achieve a personal best! It's always close run, and entirely subjective, but this year the Hellebores have taken the Gold!
