Warmer Shades of Brown in the Liminal Garden

Today’s selection of pictures is not exactly wintry, but hardly spring. (What is the equivalent of ‘wintry’ for spring – surely not ‘springy’?)

While 1st March brought the start of meteorological spring, we’ll remain in astronomical winter until 20th March. Crocuses, snowdrops, primulas and early daffodils may be proclaiming that the tilt of the world doesn’t matter a jot to them, but they’ll need to hunker down through the snowfall that is predicted for parts of the North West UK next week.

Here we have pronounced, contrasting seasons. In the ‘dead’ of winter, setting aside the fairy lights, the natural world can start to seem nothing but lush moss-green against drab, grey-brown.

So bear with me if I’m rather strangely celebrating the reddish / pinky notes I’m seeing in the browns

Is it a quality in the light, a natural blush sweeping over the plants as their sap rises or just a quirk of my attention?

Whatever the reason, it’s welcome.

Our hours of daylight have crept up to almost eleven per day from less than eight in December. It makes a difference to plants as well as people.

Several types of trees are producing catkins which always seem the clearest sign that spring is near. Some of the alders’ ones have an attractive purplish bloom, but I’m sharing this very striking willow in keeping with my colour theme:

I wonder how many Lancastrians could say that winter is their favourite season. While it’s not mine, I do like the way well-defined seasons and their inexorable changes affect the rhythm of our lives. In the next few weeks, we’ll find ourself switching from winter’s slow waltz to a spirited polka. And I’m ready – bring on those spring brights!