On May Day this year, I saw the following in flower: daffodils,
narcissi, hyacinths, bluebells, muscari, forget-me-nots, roses and peonies. It
was as strange to see early spring flowers so late as it was to see summer
flowers at the same time. But the strangest thing was seeing winter flowers.
I saw a few hellebores when I was out and about in April, and
Greenwich Park had some beautiful displays yesterday. Known as the Christmas rose,
hellebores usually flower in winter and early spring. I’m sure there are some clever
gardeners who can force their plants to flower for Christmas, but generally
they flower a bit later in winter. They come in quite muted colours – white,
apple green, pinky-white – and dramatic purples.
This is a green hellebore that I snapped on my travels in April.
And in Greenwich Park yesterday, there were a few solitary
snowflakes. I don’t know if they were the spring or summer variety, but they
were such pretty, delicate flowers. There you go – Christmas roses and
snowflakes on May Day!
