St Valentine’s month may be bitterly cold, but the capricious charms of Vanellus vanellus never fail to warm the heart, says John Lewis-Stempel

Though January 1 marks the start of our calendar year, spring feels like the time when things really get going, as forests awaken, flowers bloom, migrating birds (swallows, swifts, warblers…) return f

I like unusual words and there are a couple that seem appropriate for this time of year. March, we know, is a fickle beast, where the weather can flicker from T-shirt to thermals in the course of a da

As the long nights shorten, Mounton House garden quietly emerges from winter with delicate sprinklings of white narcissi, Scilla siberica and crocuses through the lawns. Daphnes fill the air with frag

Carpeting woodland in clouds of white star-shape flowers and filling the air with a heady, intense aroma, wild garlic is abundant in April. This bulb hibernates for most of the year before bursting fo

Quiz of the week 1) Which Shakespeare play ...