Camellia × williamsii 'Jury's Yellow' 

Its beginning to feel a lot like Spring has sprung here.  Today is the Vernal Equinox, and the Cherry is still in full bloom; its petals have begun to litter the garden like pink confetti floating down from heaven.  

The early harbingers, snowdrops, shrubby honeysuckle and the aconites are all over, and primroses, hellebores and narcissus are flowering.

Even the Tulips are above ground and I imagine by Easter I will be enjoying  the tall stems of 'Ballerina' waving amongst the grasses in the sunshine.  Ballerina is a good orange - and fragrant too; fragrant plants always find a space in my garden. I see gardening as being as much about fragrance as form, or texture or colour.

The Camellia, 'Jury's Yellow' was looking stunning with its soft creamy yellow blooms reminding me of up ended tutus just ready for a fairy to slip into. We have had wonderful bright warm days lately, but the downside of this, with no cloud cover at night, is quite hard frosts by the morning. This leaves ugly brown marks all over the flowers.

The picture is of my current favourite part of the garden - the Daphne is still very fragrant and promises new flowers, the fragrant shrubby honeysuckle still has a few flowers and the Osmanthus is just beginning to flower, bringing its jasmine like fragrance into the mix.

The arum, Arum italicum subsp. italicum 'Marmarotum' is showing off its wonderful leaves too, to be followed by strange white lily like spathes, and then red berries come autumn. The name of this plant in engraved on my mind, along with Rubus cockburnianus - both botanical names that caused me dread and laughter in equal measure when I was trying to learn how to spell them for the weekly Plant Identity Test whilst studying a Diploma in Garden Design at Merrist Wood some 12 years ago now.  It is strange the things that stick in the mind. Most days I struggle to recall my own age, yet I can reel off botanical latin  like I was an expert! (I am not an expert by the way).

Wishing you all a blessed day and looking forward to  sharing the delights the lengthening days and warmth brings my way.