On days when grey skies and pouring rain dampen spirits and everything else, there's happiness and hope to be found at ground level among the spring flowers.
Snowdrop blooms last for weeks in these temperatures. When the show is over, it's perfect timing to transplant a few bulbs, or whole clumps to other areas. They're no trouble in lawns since they're going dormant by the time lawn-mowing season begins.
Equally easy in lawns is Crocus tomasinianus. This little, early crocus that squirrels detest is a rampant self-seeder, which in old gardens creates incredible sheets of colour ranging from deep purple to pale mauve. But its thin, wispy leaves don't dominate and by late spring are gone.
Another spectacular sight at this time are patches of dwarf blue scilla (Scilla siberica), which become very dense where they have been allowed to grow and spread freely. They're best grown under deciduous trees or shrubs that provide semi-shade as the leaves die down. Like Crocus tomasinianus, scilla is inexpensive and it's easy to buy large quantities in fall
Not many gardeners grow winter aconite, but its low-growing bright yellow globes are a lovely distraction from the storm clouds of late winter. When it's available it's best to acquire and plant them early because they're reluctant sprouters if the tubers dry out. There seems to be some benefit in soaking them for a day before planting just as there is with snowdrop bulbs.
In gardens where it's been undisturbed for a few years, the hardy Cyclamen coum makes a mat less than three inches tall but is an eye-stopper with its bright pink or white flowers. It grows readily from seed which is why, ultimately, ants help it migrate into the lawn where it goes dormant in May and sleeps through drought, competition from grass roots and riding lawn-mowers.
Hellebores are always a delight at this time of year. The green, red-rimmed flower clusters of Helleborus foetidus have been beautiful for almost six weeks and will continue for another six until their pointed-jester's cap seedheads need to be dead-headed before they spill embarrassing quantities of seed.
Helleborus orientalis is also in gorgeous bloom at this time. Besides the typical red-purple and white single cup-like flowers, hellebore colour now includes blue-black, and a wide range of purples, reds, pinks, yellows, shadings of colour into white and picotees.
Garden centre offerings of this hellebore are absolutely spectacular this year including a wide assortment of doubles, contrasts of bud and flower colour. Later, the seed heads almost become as striking as the flowers were.
One of the loveliest dwarf shrubs at this time is Daphne mezereum, which produces heavily fragrant pink flowers (rarely white) all down the stems from a very young age. It can be difficult from cuttings but grows easily and true from seed then produces (poisonous) red berries. Some white-flowered forms produce yellow berries.
Another nice, dwarf shrub is the White Forsythia (Abeliophylum distichum). In late February/early March it opens long wands of small white flowers. It's an open, fragile looking shrub and its flowers only last a week, but the piercing fragrance is memorable.
Unforunately it's hard to propagate and hence hard to find. But anyone who does come across it might want to know it's worth having.
Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to [email protected].
