Hellebores cheer us up with a splash of colour from December through to early spring, and all I have to do is to remove the leaves, giving the flowers breathing space and allowing us, and passing walkers, to enjoy the blooms. They are followed by witch hazel, already in full bloom, and when eventually the cherry blossom joins the cast I know that the overture of the seasonal gardening symphony is ended and the main performance is about to begin. (Oh alright, I’ve pushed the musical metaphors too far, and no doubt used the wrong phrases). We gardeners do like bright and vivid colours as a reward for our efforts of weeding and tidying, when out in the countryside nature is quietly getting on with the job without fuss, producing the subtle colours of the catkins of yesterday’s image. Thanks to variable conditions, and my unreliable memory, nature’s early displays are less predictable, and a lovely surprise when I discover them each year.
