I don't know about you but a scene like this does something for my soul. Sunshine, fresh foliage and radiant flowers - don't you just love it? Free therapy.
As the observant among you will have guessed, this photo was NOT taken this week. Oh no. My files tell me this was the 26th April, and these are of course nice and simple and joyous wallflowers.
So even though my garden isn't looking quite like this at this very moment, at least I can look forward to a time when it will be, because one of my jobs last weekend was to plant out some wallflowers seedlings. Some of you will undoubtedly have sown your own seed in the summer, for which you can feel very virtuous. However, wicked and lazy herbert that I am, I took the easy route and picked them up in my local nursery. At this time of year, you can buy them in trays or crammed into pots. I spent £9 and got about 70 plants out of them, which to cheapskate me is a bargain.
And then what I'm hoping for is not only extra vibrant colour among the spring bulbs, but a bit of buzzing too, for where most bulbs are relatively useless for insects, wallflowers are one of those great early nectar sources. Bumblebees, Honeybees, solitary bees - all will visit on a fine spring day if your wallflowers are somewhere nice and sheltered and sunny.
The very thought is making the looming hulk of winter seem quite bearable.
I have just done a bit of tidying in the garden, not too much though, as I still have lots of Michaelmas daisies flowering. I am off to town soon so thank you for reminding me to buy some wallflowers ready for the spring.
I must remember to buy some myself as I forgot to buy seeds AGAIN this year. I love wallflowers as we always had them around when I was a child, the scentl is so beautiful and evocative, as well as being good for wildlife.
Good on you, Jen. We want to hear about it if you then get the joy I predict in the spring.
After reading your blog I was inspired to nip to the garden centre and they're now planted in my 'getting more wildlife friendly as time goes on' garden...can't wait till the Spring now!