23. Blackthorn blossom

Blackthorn blossom

Blossom time has started, a joyous season when the whole Garden bursts with life. Blackthorn leads the way with cherry close on its heels, to be followed by apple, pear and plum until the hedges turn white with hawthorn blossom in May.

The Latin name for blackthorn is Prunus spinosa - it is a member of the plum family and is certainly very spiny. It grows wild in the hedgerows around the Garden and is easy to spot in April when the small, white flowers open on bare stems ahead of the leaves.

These blossoms will develop into sloes, the purple fruits like hard, miniature plums that my father collected to make sloe gin, the traditional country liqueur that warms the heart on cold winter days.  I look at the white flowers against a gorgeous blue sky and think about the meaning of 'blossoming' and the cycle of the seasons, how spring flowers lead to autumn fruit, and  how allowing ourselves to blossom now will surely result in a rich harvest later on.

Cherry blossom and daffodils in the Imbolc garden