March is a very floriferous month, with carpets of crocus, narcissus and hellebores, masses of snowdrops, primroses and daffodils, as well as the blossom on trees such as blackthorn, goat willow and exotic magnolia. While the temperature can still be chilly and the days more often dull than bright, there are lots of flowers to keep the pollinators busy. While I appreciate the resplendence of later-flowering cherry blossom, so rightly revered and taken very seriously in some parts of the world, it’s these lesser-celebrated early-flowering tree blossoms that charm me most.
'A host, of golden daffodils' to quote Wordsworth in our Small Tapered Vase Fuchsia will brighten up your kitchen table.
Spring blossom this year promises to be a winner, so I’ve heard on the gardeners’
grapevine, with a notable profusion of flowers due to the cold winter and cooler
temperatures so far in 2023 that have prevented early flowers that might have been halted in their development by a snap, late frost. That the seasons gently pass from one to the other is guaranteed. What is not for certain however, is how the fluctuations in temperature and rainfall through the later winter months and those of very early spring before the equinox will affect the floriferousness of the blossom displays.
This month you start to really notice the fresh colours of new growth. With the
prediction of abundant blossom in mind it's also a great time to seek out gardens that are open to the public. Some offer guided walks among the magnolias or will have pathways through tunnels of blossoming hedgerows - ‘white ways of delight’ to quote Anne of Green Gables! If you can, take a wilder approach and follow public trails and footpaths through the countryside, or walk along rural lanes to find wild blossom in the hedgerows (and discover where to return to later in the year to collect sloes). Also delightful are cascades of catkins (or ‘lamb’s tails’), and the fluffy, furry ones of goat willow (or pussy willow). I particularly like the way that views across a landscape can become visible through the webs of leafless shrub and tree branches, sometimes overlaid with delicate smatterings of white and pink flowers. In March, there are beautiful collages like this everywhere you look.
Susan Mosse
