In the last couple of weeks, I’ve put those winter jobs, such as leaf picking and pruning, behind me. Now I’m admiring the first flowers of the year. Snowdrops are everywhere, of course, and many of mine are tucked under my roses. Cyclamen coum is in full flow all along my front path, in one of the sunniest positions in the garden. The rounded foliage and jaunty flowers welcome me home, along with the scent of Sarcococca confusa.
is taking over my main bulb lawn, along with patches of winter aconites also. The combination of yellow and purple is heart warming on a chilly February day. Both of these bulbous plants spread by setting seeds, but they only do so if they can attract a pollinator. The earliest flying bees in our gardens are in search of nectar, the sugar-rich energy drink. It’s the bee equivalent of Lucozade. After they’ve topped up their energy levels, they go on to collect protein-rich ich pollen and this enables them to raise their offspring.
