The Sights and Sounds of Spring
Saturday 26th March 2022
This morning I took a moment to sit and listen to the sights and sounds of the garden on this gloriously sunny early Spring day. The air was still and warm and the birds were singing. A couple of woodpeckers were having a conversation with each other - the ultimate sign that the natural world is re-awakening and good things are just around the corner. No bleating lambs in the fields around us yet, but they are on their way too…
When my cup of coffee was empty, instead of getting on with my chores, I decided to have a little wander around the garden.
I began in the dell where recently we have had some tree work done, opening up new vistas and pools of dappled light. After a week or two now without the interminable rains we’ve been enduring, the stream, alas, is now dry. How I miss it talking to me! I was excited to see the first marsh marigold in flower, its bright yellow flowers catching the sun; and even more so to see the fresh new wild garlic leaves pushing through (once you have that in your garden there’s no stopping it!).
I paused to contemplate the laurels that need cutting back and treated myself to a quick little go on the old wooden swing that hangs from the ancient yew, checking first that the ropes hadn’t rotted!
As I pottered I made mental notes of jobs to be done as well as planning new plantings. A garden should always be in development, even when it is as mature as ours: old things need replacing to bring in new life, shape, colour and interest; everything needs maintaining. Unlike us, a garden never stops growing, so it always needs some sort of feeding, shaping or taming. It is truly a labour of love.
Yet the rewards for hard work in the garden are plentiful and today was no exception. It was an exquisite celebration of a new season dawning and nature returning the love tenfold.
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