
The little things are big at this time of year. While we wait in the quiet time before it all starts to happen again. It’s too early to even thing about starting to sow seeds. It’s probably too cold/wet/snowy/frozen - take your pick - to venture outside. So it’s just a quick dash outside to pick something to keep your spirits up inside while we sit and plan.
Some of my favourites
I have some of the greenery from Christmas in small vases – a bit of pine, some eucalyptus and some birch catkins. Perfect for adding small blooms to as they appear in the garden.
Narcissus Bridal Crown is one of the first of our scented daffodils to flower here in the polyrunnel. We often have the odd early one to pick to bring in to scent a room.
Hellebores are popping up their heads now and while they aren’t quite tall enough just yet to pick for bunches, there’s always a stem or too to add to a bud vase.
Snow drops are the daintiest things and mostly aren’t thought of as cut flowers, but they are perfect to place somewhere where you are going to be able to watch them close up. You’ll see all the subtle differences so beloved of the collectors and which are often overlooked by the rest of us.
Christmas box has the tiniest of flowers which pack a lot of perfume – there’s some in Hall Lees park – just walk along by the river and you can smell it in the border behind the holly hedge. It’s the perfect winter foliage plant to bring inside to go with a bunch of yellow daffs. Although best taken from your own garden!
In this season of dull cold days you have to look a bit closer and try a bit harder to find colour than in the glory days of summer. We’ve all seen the yellow hazel catkins hanging in the hedgerows, but have you noticed the purple alder by the riverside; they often have their tiny cones at the sometime as catkins, as well. Willow bark and catkins come in rainbow colours, from some of the bluish purple stems to orange flowers as big as early bumble bees.
Dogwood branches red by the river - all the colours in the garden - creating a haze of colour, but also good in a vase in your kitchen
Try the #30 stem challenge pick a bunch of 30 stems from your garden and — let me know what you have found.
Vanessa Swetman
