During the course of this last week, we have witnessed a change in gear and the signs are marked in a gathering number of indicators. Garlic spears in the woods pushing through leaf litter as the brilliance of the snowdrops and their February energy dims. As if it was planned for, the first of the primroses appear to cover for them, first flower alongside the waning Galanthus, the relay now begun. As you turn your eye to the hellebores, which are now hitting their stride, the first stirrings are suddenly everywhere. Tulips pushing through ground that just a week ago was apparently empty. The seedlings of the wood aster germinating quite literally in their thousands. 

The pools of shadow under the trees where I’ve planted Cardamine quinquefolia (main image) were cleared as a first job in the New Year, the early risers driving the pace and the order of things. We then moved on to clear and mulch the areas where the bulbs have been worked amongst the perennials. Mulched before any signs of growth were visible, they have come to life this month and grown up and through the protective eiderdown. New spears never look better than pushing through mulch and getting the timing right is like knowing your footwork in a dance. It allows you to move with confidence and to keep your eye on the advancing spring. It also speeds the process so that you work around the habits of your plants and their timings and this makes for good feeling.