WILD TULIP, COWSLIP
MARCH
Cowslip (Primula veris)
Cyclamen (Cyclamen coum)
Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)
Japanese maple (Acer)
Miniature daffodil (Narcissus 'Elka')
Petticoat daffodil (Narcissus bulbicodium 'Spoirot')
Tazetta daffodil (Narcissus 'Minnow')
Turkestan tulip (Tulipa turkestanica)
Wild primrose (Primula vulgaris)
Wild tulip (Tulipa sylvestris)
Wood anemone (Anemone nemerosa)
Low ceramic bowl from Japan
Medium kenzan (pinholder)
The diminutive flowers that emerge as spring unfolds appear almost impossibly fragile and are somehow all the more precious for it. Arranging these tiny stems is a meditative process - very specific, very gentle. The Cardamine hirsuta (hairy bittercress) is an edible weed that crops up all around the garden and we often harvest clumps to use as filler / ‘ground cover’ in arrangements to disguise mechanics and tuck into void spaces. I love the species tulips which are the first to appear - Sylvestris, the wild or woodland tulip, have dancing stems that seem to have a life of their own and bring a sense of spirit to any arrangement. They yawn open in the sun, close again in the shade and have a sweet citrus scent, like lemony honey.