SNAPPING FLOWERS IN THE RAIN
Head out with your camera and capture a moment in time in the garden to better see its progress
By now, winter seems to have gone on forever. We’ve been rained on, frozen and blown away, so if morale has taken a bit of a hit, that’s quite understandable.
But, on the plus side, things are starting to improve on the garden front. And if you look closely, there are all sorts of green shoots coming up with snowdrops arriving in force, but also camassias putting in an early start and Cyclamen coum too, which is looking positively blingy. The bravest shrubs are also showing just a hint of leaf. In my garden Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ is unstoppable, and while I question the wisdom of Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Mariesii Perfecta’ breaking bud, it continues regardless. In fact, buds are fattening across the board. I love the way magnolias pre-empt the more anticipated pussy willow with their plump, fuzzy overcoats, and the catkins are doing their wiggly springtime thing, just as they always do. It’s a joy!
Looking through my phone recently, I came across some pictures I’d taken of my garden. It was just a couple of views this way and that, but looking out of the window I was really struck by how much things had grown in a relatively short time. Shrubs and trees had doubled in size, expanding and reaching upwards to fill the space. Thin, skinny planting schemes have filled out enormously, and while not everything I’ve planted has survived, on reflection it’s clear this is a garden that is now starting to come of age.
So if there is one thing to do this week (or whenever weather permits, but before the garden takes off properly), it’s to go out and take some pictures. Stored in a labelled folder, they can be used as a point of reference at a later date. Having a marker in the sand means it’s easier to see progress – which is a great way to reduce frustration – while the visual reminder of how it looks at its thinnest aids planning and progress going forward. Even the act of taking the pictures is satisfying; it’s a literal focus on what is there right now, what is successful and what is growing and flourishing. And at this time of year, that is exactly what is needed.