Tag: flowers

#365daysofbiking I predict a riot

February 13th – Kings Hill Park continues to captivate.

The spring flower patch planted last year in the grass by the converted church is coming on lovely once more, and is currently a hubbub or crocuses in white, pink, violet and yellow. Soon they will be joined by other blooms, and a few short metres away, dwarf daffodils are coming on to flower, too.

It’s going to be a riot of colour again. I can’t wait – this is just the start.

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#365daysofbiking Relentless

February 3rd – After a very cold night, a lovely, sunny and almost warm spring day was welcome. Around midday, with the sun on my cheeks it could almost have been March, not February.

In the cemetery opposite St Annes Church in Chasetown, the serious business of advancing the season is pushing forward undaunted by a bit of ice and snow. The annual riot of crocuses is just kicking off, and was beautiful, but the primroses in the churchyard itself were weather lovely too.

Just what I needed after this thankfully brief cold snap.

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#365daysofbiking Advance party

January 28th – Passing through Kings Hill Park on a mercifully sunny, chilly day, I noted the progress of the snowdrops and crocuses, with the early-appearers looking wonderful in the sunlight.

I’m a bit worried about Kings Hill Park. Not one of Walsall Council’s premier parks, it seems to be losing some funding and last year, although kept beautifully tidy. the flower planters seemed rather neglected, which is a shame as they’ve always been gorgeous.

Kings Hill Park is a gem of a place, sited on largely reclaimed former industrial land, and is a jewel in the urbanity along the Walsall-Sandwell border.

I hope it gets a bit more love this year.

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#365daysofbiking Tentative


January 18th – Despite the cold, spring was still gently pushing forward in a garden in Darlaston – with snowdrops in full bloom and crocuses now up and in bud.

At such a very cold, grey time it’s good to see some signs of spring around the corner.

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#365daysofbiking Blooming welcome

January 10th – The signs of life continue in the still overall very mild winter; pansies and the first snowdrops – not here a week ago – in Kings HJill Park, Darlaston.

It’s great to see them, they really bring a splash of welcome colour to a grey world.

Just hope we don’t get a cold snap to set them back – after all, last spring was very late. Let’s have an early one this year, eh?

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#365daysofbiking Just around the corner

 

January 7th – But there’s always brightness, and just now, everywhere reminders that while still not here, spring is only just around the corner.

In a garden in kings Hill where in summer I see old Sam the cat, pots of flowers – fancy miniature daffodils and primroses of some sort I think.

Whatever they are, they cheered me right up. Thank you!

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July 12th – I was pleased to note that one little purple flower has returned this year to the verge outside the place where I work – Self Heal. It grows low in grass and often misses the mowers. It has a very unusual flower head configuration featuring absolutely tiny but gorgeous violet blooms.

The plant, given it’s name as you might expect, is known for it’s medicinal properties, and brings a splash of colour to lawns and verges throughout middle to late summer.

June 27th – Since we’re in high, hot summer we’re now in a phase of darker flowers – purples, reds, dark blues. And that means the thistles are coming out.

Spotted flowering on industrial wasteland in Pleck, this gorgeous thistle was alive with tiny back bugs.

I immediately felt sorry for the plant. But who knows? They may have been doing it good…

Fascinating, all the same.

June 12th – Passing the embankment of the new pond at Clayhanger I noticed that the kidney vetch is showing well this year. One of only two places I can think of that it grows locally, this plant, once thought to be good for healing wounds, is profuse in the sandy soil of the embankment.

Consisting of individual flowers on a fluffy, down covered flower head, it’s a storage and very beautiful wayside delight at this time of year.

May 30th – So many new wild flowers every day. On a day that was wet, but whose rain I missed whilst in work, I noticed the clover along the Goscote Valley cycleway was looking beautiful in the wet grass.

If you actually study clover flowers, they are amazingly delicate and complex, yet so often overlooked.

A true staple of summer.