The wind has turned to come from the west, and now blows relatively warmly on our faces.
And as if waking from hibernation, those buds that have been poised for so long are starting to unfurl.
Our stellata magnolia is out – along with the first of our camellias, which has already been caught by the morning sun!
Amongst all the bare branches, one tree is deciding to be different.
Back in 15 February I reported on a horse chestnut tree whose buds were beginning to open. Well, this is what those buds now look like!
They look a little sickly due to a lack of decent sunshine and cold temperatures, but I’m sure they will pull through.
Daffodils are still flowering really well in April! And they still have buds waiting to come out!
Spring is easily a month behind this year. Usually at this time we are enjoying the spectacle of the tulips, but these are no more than tentative leaves just emerging from the ground.
Never mind, let’s enjoy the brightness daffodils bring us, along with the sunshine and the warmth when protected from the bitter wind.
The willow is one of the first trees to come into leaf, and the last to lose them.
I’ve noticed the first leaflets starting to break out of their bud casings.
This is most exciting. The cold weather can’t hold spring back, it has to arrive sometime!
I love pussy-willow. These little grey furry buds that become ethereal, golden-halo’d flowers nodding in the (freezing) breeze.
In spite of the cold, spring is starting to take hold and is pressing on regardless.
Next stop: the leaves will start to appear (more in another post soon).
We visited Wakehurst Place on Friday and it was there that I saw the first rhododendron flowers of the year.
Normally at this time all the rhododendrons would be as far as this, if not further, into their flowering cycle. The roads south of Reading are normally peppered with purple wild rhododendrons peering through the hedges with their mauve and lavender offerings.
Meanwhile our own rhododendrons have tightly closed buds and are showing no signs of coming into flower just yet.
We’ve got all these buds in our garden holding out for warmer weather before they decide it’s safe to open.
The yellow azelea which smells of coffee and sweat has swollen flower buds ready to burst.
The camellia buds have been present since Christmas and have been in a dormant state ever since.
The stellata magnolia’s furry buds are poised to break into flower, with their pure white fronds only just under the surface.
Just when will I be able to greet these flowers properly?
My garden is suddenly full of buds, in different shapes, sizes and colours, promising what beauty lies within will soon appear in all its full glory.
Let’s hope that none of these will disappoint when they finally erupt to show the world what they contain, whether it is a leaf, flower or whatever.
Watching nature while walking 