First flowers of the year

First came the snow drops in mid-January, then the pale blue periwinkle.

As usual, we had a few people come up to the house to see the snowdrops which one of the former owners planted profusely. I'm planning on planting a few more "in the green" when they've finished flowering, rather than just planting dormant bulbs which don't take as well.

Those already out there are still flowering well, after about seven weeks, and they have been joined by other spring blooms. Last week we saw the first lesser celandines and the first daffodils burst into bloom on February 26th, just in time for St David's Day. They were immediately joined by some golden crocuses on the pond bank I planted last autumn.

The purple crocuses in the glade have been in bloom for two weeks. They're part of a mix of purple, yellow and white crocuses I planted which normally look good together. The purples are always the first to bloom but are soon followed by the white and yellow ones - but not this year.

Of 50 bulbs planted in the small glade of silver birch and rowan trees, we have 20 or so purples and so far only one white and no sign of a yellow at all. I'm wondering if someone forgot to mix them when they were packed. Or maybe they're just being slower than usual to bloom.

We also had the first red camellia flower a month ago. It's now passed and we're still waiting for the second to open. There are hundreds of buds on the 6ft high bush in the yard but they seem later than usual. The white camellia nearby is bursting with buds as usual but no flowers yet. A pink one, planted on the north side of the hedge at the bottom of the garden, is in full and glorious bloom.

Elsewhere, there are primulas, wild primroses and a few dark purple dwarf irises in flower. Spring will soon be here.