Most of the snowdrops are just unfurling but this one is a herald of what's to come
The first pots of Iris reticulata are in flower thanks to a spell in the greenhouse
Checking back to the same time last year it is interesting to see what was out this week last year – and compare it with this year. Usually the crocus tommasinianus are the first to flower but this year I found this pot of a creamy white crocus with brown markings in flower before the tommasinianus have even begun to show buds. The snowdrops are pretty well on cue, but the greenhouse-grown iris are a couple of weeks earlier. Last year the Daphne odora aureamarginata was already in flower, this week the buds are showing colour but have yet to open. I love the inconsistency of it all.
Earliest crocuses Snowbunting have popped up in one of the pots
If ever a plant deserved the epithet ‘small, but perfectly formed’ the Iris reticulata is the one. I planted these ones (‘Harmony’) on October the 18th and it has been worth every minute of the wait to enjoy this little pot of perfection on my desk – and fragrant too!