Friday Seedlings
Spring! Oscars! Pelargoniums!
Happy Friday! Today (at precisely 14.45 GMT) is the spring equinox, marking the astronomical start of spring and therefore the gateway to arguably the best season! It is the moment the sun crosses directly over the earth's equator, resulting in equal parts daylight and darkness globally. It signals a season of renewed growth and brings with it, longer days. Joy!
We’ve certainly had a little taste of it this week. The sunshine and general spring vibes have changed the energy and it’s contagious. I have been man down with a horrible virus and so has my middle son but we’ve actually had a lovely time together, so silver linings, lying in the sunshine and watching a lot of rugby together. So while it’s been frustrating as there is a lot to do and I wanted to feel the spring in my step, it’s also been a very good lesson in acknowledging a slow down is sometimes simply needed (not my forte!).
On Monday I went to my brother-in-law’s care home to do some flower arranging with the residents. I had such a lovely time. There were plenty of “experts” in the room and a lot of very strong opinions on whose was best!
We created, we laughed, and it all felt a bit chaotic in the best way — just a really happy few hours. A little reminder of how flowers can bring people together, no matter your age.
In this week’s dispatch - Time to perk up the pelargoniums, Best dressed at the Oscars, In Bloom exhibition, A kitchen pan I’m obsessed with, Charms for Trainers (truly!) & more…
I hope you have a happy, sunny weekend.
Love, Willow x
Perking the Pelargoniums!
It’s time to perk up the pelargoniums* again! Mine have done pretty well over the winter; they’ve carried on flowering nicely but they are definitely in need of some new soil and some food (tomorite) and they’ll begin to really get going again. If you’re looking to buy some new ones, have a look at Fibrex - they’re pelargonium specialists.
* you might wonder like I once did about the difference between pelargoniums and geraniums. They are very similar (pelargoniums are really a type of geranium) and I adore both but there are subtle differences that just push pelargoniums to the lead in my humble opinion! The primary difference is that geraniums are hardy, herbaceous perennials that survive winter, while pelargoniums are tender, shrubby plants usually grown as annuals (but they are often sold as geraniums in garden centres). Geraniums have symmetrical, five-petal flowers and are often used as shrub or ground cover, whereas pelargoniums have asymmetrical flower clusters (I love uneven rather than even shapes!), woody stems, are often upright, can be trailed or trained and are used more in pots. You cannot beat a pelargonium in a terracotta pot on a windowsill!
Still on theme, Cath Kidston has just bought out a new hand cream ’Number 4’ in her C.Atherley collection. It smells so good - a rose geranium scent which she’s brilliantly matched back to one of my faves pelargoniums, Attar of Roses.
I also love these pelargonium paintings by my very clever Mama, Kate Corbett- Winder.
