We went away at the tail end of Winter and arrived home at the start of Spring. I was looking forward to seeing our garden full of life again but when we stepped through the gate, it looked just as it did when we left. Bare, soggy and colourless. I felt pretty disappointed. But things have changed this week… “Winter is dead” (from A.A Milne’s Daffodowndilly).




Snake’s head fritillary is my favourite garden plant at the moment. Plain cream buds push through the soil and a checked pattern gradually appears, changing from pale pink to burgundy. This is how they look at their peak…



Our blueberry bushes are covered in bright green leaves and tiny flowers. I gave them the pruning equivalent of a grade 1 haircut so I wasn’t sure if they would grow back. It’s pure luck they have.




This is what I was hoping to come home to. It was worth the wait though 🙂
I’d never seen fritillaries before moving to the UK, but I love them. They look like they’ve come straight off the pages of a children’s book. The saxifraga are beautiful, too; I might try to find some.
Beautiful pictures as always!
Me too, I like the unusual pattern on the petals. I’ve been wanting to buy more but haven’t come across many in the garden centres.