At last, the weather should be improving and we can look forward to snow free days. Hallelujah Spring has arrived and the time is here to start putting into actions all those plans you made in the colder winter months. (Have you managed to keep up with all your New Year’s resolutions? – we’ve failed miserably, as usual!!)

But to help cheer us up, this is the highly colourful time of year in the plant calendar.  You will see the larger shrubs Azalea, Camellia’s’ Magnolia’s and Rhododendrons flowering in abundance not only in your garden and the National Trust gardens and parks but also in the countryside and along the hedgerows. Spring flowers such as Daffodils, Tulips and Hyacinths will also start to bloom.  And for the Florists it’s a busy time of in the calendar with Mothers Day and Easter giving us the excuse to spoil our nearest and dearest with floral gifts – and more chocolate!!

March

Are you an Angel?

If your birthday is in March the Pisces amongst you won’t be surprised to learn that the flower associated with yourspecial day is the Jonquil (also known Daffodil or Narcissus) – which to the Victorians came to mean ‘friendship and domestic happiness’.  If the colour of the flower was a white variety, it also had the additional meaning – ‘You are an angel’.  Well, if you can provide domestic happiness.. (more…)

Too young to order flowers for Mum?

Mothers Day, or Mothering Sunday, as it’s known in the UK, has developed over the decades to become a worldwide event to celebrate and show appreciation and gratitude for our Mums and other mother figures in our lives – and that includes the mother in law!.  Although the day and date may vary from country to country, the sentiment remains the same – lots of love to Mum!

Mothering Sunday, like most of the other traditions that we celebrate today, has roots that can be traced back to early Roman and Christian times.   The Roman and Greek goddess’s of motherhood and fertility were Cybele and Rhea who both had holidays in their names during the month of March.  And in Celtic Europe, Brigid and later St. Brigid had a celebration day in spring known as Mothers Day….

Early Christians honoured (more…)