The first to strike me when going outdoors, is the smell of the lilac. Perhaps the sub-zero temperatures have given trees a good rest over winter and their pent-up energy is the result. I don’t think I have seen the lilac with so many blooms before. The pink rhododendron is also still in flower.
Bluebells, both pink and blue, are still blooming and they too have a strong perfume which is a pleasant reminder of summer.
This year the magnolia had more blooms and the scent was stronger.
I’ve also realised just how many pink plants and flowers there are. Pink is not a favourite colour, but somehow flowers can be forgiven. You can’t bring out the essence of nature by any other medium. The crystalline leaves and petals on some plants cannot be replicated very successfully, so the plants retain copyright to nature’s own spectacular original art.
Although still young plants, Tree Spinach and purple orach share the same sparkling magenta-coloured leaves. Catch them in the sun and what they lack in perfume they make up with in brilliance. They share the photograph with Basil, ‘purple ruffles’, young seedlings still to show their rich burgundy-coloured leaves. All three, like many of my plants, are edible.
Last year’s red orach was weather-beaten thanks to a long season of bad weather, but I was able to collect seeds, you can just see them against the yacón.
A pink, ornamental strawberry nestles amongst the troughs of strawberries, ‘sonata‘. It does not produce a fruit but it is still pretty against the white flowers. Arctic bramble produces small pink flowers, followed by small mini-size, pink bramble-like fruit. It can fruit all summer but not in abundance, it’s just for a bite-size treat on visiting the garden.
There are many more pink flowers in the garden, some still to show themselves. Where nature is concerned, I think I may forego my aversion to pink!
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