the first flowers of the year carry a specialness that no other bloom or season can touch. I’ll spend weeks looking for the first snowdrop and then, when I finally find one, I’ll get down on my hands

Spring is unfurling in Fiona Cumberpatch’s container garden in Lincolnshire and she’s appreciating every small stage

In the garden, hellebores and snowdrop bulbs are emerging through the wintry ground, while beyond, in borrowed views, dangling catkins and blossom-laden blackthorn branches sway in the hedgerows. Thes

Bulbs planted in autumn come to life now and deliver vibrant bursts of colour – a joy to see after the dark winter months. Daffodils (more on those overleaf) and tulips are enduring symbols of spring

I like the slow-quick-slow burn of early spring, with the leaves unfurling slowly but surely. Some plants are decidedly cautious; whitebeams and catalpa won’t show themselves for weeks, while impatien

Hares tend to steal the limelight in March, thanks to their spirited boxing bouts, as the females fend off unwanted advances from feisty males. However, rabbits are fairly boisterous, too. The differe