The sight of this little harbinger of spring is always so uplifting after the ten longest, darkest weeks surrounding the winter solstice. John spotted the first in flower on the 26th when walking Rosa and the cluster under the Sweet Chestnut is well in bloom in the sunshine today.
Likely first introduced to gardens in the 1500s, they had naturalised by the 1770s, and were then further spread by soldiers returning from the Crimean War.
Their long history means they hold a deep enduring place in our psyche symbolising both death and renewal in our folklore, in particular through their association with the return of Perserhone from Hades.