I love spring!
A quick headcount in the borders has revealed the first thick shoots of two white Bleeding Hearts and four purple ones – which is all of them present and accounted for! Daffodils, Crocuses and Snowdrops are popping up in the lawn – late this year because of the snow.
In the greenhouse things are also erupting; joining the gazillion Cornflowers that have already shown themselves (and I’m certain I didn’t plant *that* many!) and OH has just performed a headcount of 1 Candytuft, 1 French Marigold, 2 Earthwalker Sunflowers and 4 Nemesia Carnival – and that’s just so far! I somehow have nearly 50 Cornflower popping up so I’m going to have extremely blue borders this year!
When I was a child my Nan discovered a Christmas Rose that had seeded itself by her compost heap; a bird must have dropped it there just like how I came by my baby Rosemary.
Every single year we would watch for the Christmas Rose because we both loved it so, and it was our sign that spring had begun. It was Nan who taught me my love of gardening, and I even had my own half-moon shaped border where a pond had once been.
I was very close to my Nan, and always told her that if I ever had my own garden I would have Crimson Glory and Lemon Verbena – two of her favourites. I also promised to look out for a Christmas Rose.
Last year Nan was delighted to know that I had Crimson Glory and Lemon Verbena going bonkers in my borders; I took a photo of the Crimson Glory and gave it to her for her 93rd birthday, and she was delighted. She was in a nursing home by then, and I wanted her to have something to brighten up her room.
Nan passed away in hospital in September, leaving me absolutely devastated; I remember looking at my Crimson Glory and sobbing my heart out.
Then, just before my birthday in November, OH handed me a box that had just been delivered. “It’s for your birthday, but you *have* to open it now”.
Inside was a rather wilted but very much alive Christmas Rose. I think that has to be the most wonderful present that anybody has ever given me. OH said he knew I wanted one in memory of my Nan and so he’d searched the internet all over until he found me one.
Well, it’s taken a while for the Christmas Rose to settle in, but here it is this morning:
As usual, click to enlarge.
Nan would have been delighted to see that I’m still as green-fingered as ever :)
