Glorious millions of wild flowers seen today!

It's been warm here today, we ate lunch outside.
The bluebells are early, it's been lovely driving along and seeing the bluebells, primroses, cowslips and wild garlic out along the edges of the woods.

It sounds as if they had a good time - didn't you have a go at going ape as well? 😁

I've got lots of bluebells. whitebells and pinkbells in my front and back garden. A patch of cowslips out the back as well. Beautiful aren't they.
I bought some mixed wildflower seeds yesterday. It's too cold and wet to put them out yet but I hope I get a good display in the summer.

Witzend

On the way to Gdd’s birthday party activity in Wendover Woods, masses and masses of cowslips by the roadside. On the way back (different exit) carpets and carpets of bluebells in the woods - seemingly endless swathes of them - I’ve never in my life seen so many.

On the minus side, it was exceedingly chilly hanging around while the kids were ‘going ape’ on wires through the trees! I’ve never known it so cold around her birthday. I was very glad of the nice warm cafe and a hot coffee!

How beautiful it is there. Our family spent many happy years in and around Wendover. Thankyou for the memories it brought back.

Cowslips seem to be coming back. I had a few in one of the paddocks but over the past two or three years they have multiplied and now I have a long bank of them. They are so pretty. The bluebells are also wonderful this year, clearly they don't mind a very wet winter.

The snowdrops were beautiful too here in S Hampshire.

We were just saying yesterday that all the shrubs seem to have loved the weather - even if we don't. Everything in the garden has had a mass of blossom, the bluebells are spreading like wildfire, we have bunches of snowdrops that weren't there last year, the daffodills and muscari were amazing, the bleeding hearts are all in flower although partly hidden by the Christmas roses that don't seem to want to die off. A small lilac bush is just starting to flower and the paeonies are well on the way. I saw a huge clump of what looked like forget me nots by the side of the road today.

Witzend We used to live near Ashridge. That was a ‘go to’ place for bluebells. Beautiful aren’t they.

The verges of A roads and motorways are being planted with wild flowers, after the soil has been disturbed by work.
A joy to see.

In Sussex last week I saw more cowslips than I have seen for years.

We went to Holby by Nature Reserve yesterday no bluebells but so many cowslips.

Callistemon, I was watching them for a while, thinking thank goodness it wasn’t me up there!! That was before I escaped to the nice warm cafe! Only really went at all to help with supplies - was bringing cup cakes and a stack of sausages on sticks.

One or two of them did apparently freak out a bit in mid ‘ape’ - luckily Gdd1 and Gds are fairly intrepid - Gdd1 was wild to do it.
Gdd2 thankfully too little!

We have a wonderful display of English bluebells in a local wood this year the smell is wonderful. I think the cold weather is helping them stay fresh for longer. I have masses of Spanish bluebells in my garden like weeds but can’t bear to pull them up . Each year I pull loads up complete with bulbs but they still seem to multiply!

For any GNs in Suffolk and Essex yesterday we visited a Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve called Arger Fen and Spouses Vale (near Sudbury) and saw the most amazing carpets of bluebells together with primroses and cowslips in beautifully managed woodlands. Well worth a visit.

The spring flowers are beautiful. I passed a field full of Broom bushes yesterday. A sea of yellow. Lifts the spirits.

I was surprised this morning to see theHawthorn (May) flowering. I have never seen it so early. I also noticed many hybrid blue bells in a very strange pinky beige colour.

Gosh, I haven’t been to Ashridge Forest or Wendover Woods for ages. We used to go a lot when our sons lived at home, we must make the effort to get out more. I see Ashridge House has an open garden day in May together with a plant sale, that will be worth a visit.

Witzend

*Callistemon*, I was watching them for a while, thinking thank goodness it wasn’t me up there!! That was before I escaped to the nice warm cafe! Only really went at all to help with supplies - was bringing cup cakes and a stack of sausages on sticks.

One or two of them did apparently freak out a bit in mid ‘ape’ - luckily Gdd1 and Gds are fairly intrepid - Gdd1 was wild to do it.
Gdd2 thankfully too little!

Yes, I've watched ours but have no head for heights myself.
There's an aerial obstacle course in Bournemouth; we watched as one DGC swung her way round with confidence on the very wobbly apparatus and the other froze, white with fear. She wasn't going to give in, though, and completed it with encouragement.

Forget-me-nots everywhere too!

I tried for many years to get rid of Spanish bluebells in my previous garden but they kept coming up. I agree, they are pretty, especially as they come in various colours, but they are bad for our dainty English bluebells which breed with them instead of breeding with English ones. If you have Spaniards and can't bear to dig them up, please try to snap off the seed pods when the flowers finish. At least you will reduce the seeding around them, though they may have hybridised with nearby English ones.

I saw loads of wild garlic on verges in N Devon on Saturday!

We have a blue bell wood near us...its glorious at moment .....very cold here today 🥶

I will keep my Spanish bluebells my garden is full of them and they are pretty and have given me a lot of pleasure over the 30 + years they ve been growing in my garden. I don’t have any English ones for them to take over

Wild flowers are such a beautiful sight even if it's cold !
Hot ,coffee , chocolate or tea , which needs a cake certainly is a great reward !