Spring Greens

This is such an amazing time of the year – it seems that so quickly, all of the bare branches and garden spaces fill up with so many shades of green leaves and I absolutely love it.  All of that new, fresh life all around us … unless you’re on the other side of the world and you’re heading into Winter – so you can either bookmark this page to read once your Spring arrives, or this can be a reminder that the Spring will return.  Either way, this is a warning that I’m about to wax lyrical over leaves! 🙂

A row of trees bordering a green grassy field. They are lots of shades of green. The sky is grey as it is raining.

The dog and I were out in the rain yesterday and there’s something about the way that leaves shine in the rain that kept stopping me in my tracks – our walk took much longer than usual and we were soaked by the time we got home!  I don’t think the dog was too bothered, he never feels the rain through his thick furry coat!

Young, bright green sycamore leaves, shiny from the rain

I’ve not edited this photo in any way, the leaves really were this bright green and shiny!  These are sycamore leaves, and I’m not the biggest fan of sycamore trees, if I’m honest, but these young leaves look beautiful.  They were so bright that they made the woodland behind them where we often walk look much darker!

Looking into a wood - there are bright green leaves to the right which make the woodland behind look darker

I think what I love the most is that there are so many shades of green.  We don’t often notice when we’re going places in the car or on the bus, or even walking the dog with something on our mind that means that we don’t pay as much attention to what’s around us.  Looking at trees and bushes from a distance can make us think that the colour is just “green” as well, and it’s not until we stop to take a good look that we can see all the subtle shades that make up the “green”.

Ivy leaves in various shades of green. They are shiny with the rainDark green conifer needles with bright green young tipsBright green sycamore keys lie on a woodland path. Christine's boots are in the photo at the bottom for context

I’m assuming that there’s a logical explanation, such as the weather being warmer at this time of year, but I feel that I can even breathe more easily when the leaves are appearing.  I’m lucky that I don’t have allergy issues (and you have my sympathy if you do), so I can take deep breaths when I’m out in the fields or in amongst the trees and breathing in all of that Spring energy definitely puts a spring in my step.

Back home in the garden, I’m in my element!  I have lots of green in the garden; we’re just at that time of year where the Spring flowers are starting to appear after the daffodils and tulips have gone over, and I love that sense of promise, of knowing that something new is coming.  Here are some more beautiful greens from the garden – I’ve been taking photos at various stages of plant growth so some of these are earlier than where the plants are now, but those leaves!  They called to me and I couldn’t resist!

Aquilegia …

Green Aquilegia leaves tinged with pink at the centre where they join onto the stalk

Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale) …

Young Oriental poppy leaves in a garden border. The leaves are pinnate and slightly spiky

Arum lily (Arum italicum) – this plant is in the garden to stay.  I’ve tried to dig it up so many times (it’s poisonous and I find the red berry stalks that appear later in year a bit creepy) but it’s having none of it and it’s still here.  I’ve got hellebores and foxgloves in the garden and they’re poisonous too – it’s not having poisonous plants that bothers me, but there’s just something about this one that I would not have chosen if we hadn’t inherited it.  Anyway, it’s here and at this time of year, the leaves do look fabulous!

Large green leaves with white veins grow against a stone wall

Poisonous or not, the foxgloves are definitely encouraged into my garden!  I grow the wild Digitalis purpurea variety, happily shaking the seed heads all over the borders every year to see what comes up.  I’ve had all kinds of colours, from white to pale pink to the deepest shade of Barbie and they’re all beautiful.  The white ones don’t stay too long – as the bees pass from one plant to another, it seems that the “traditional” pink shade is the most dominant and that’s the one that I have most of now, but I don’t care.  It makes me so happy to hear the bees buzzing into the bell-shaped flowers and you can be sure that there will be photos of foxglove flowers later in the year!

Green foxglove leaves. They are slightly furry to the touch - but best not to touch as they're poisonous!

Look at all those shades of green in that one plant!  Oh, I’m getting quite giddy just uploading photos! 🙂

This is one of my favourite plants in the garden, it’s my Oak-leaved Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) and at this time of year, the young leaves are beautiful.  Such a vibrant colour and the leaves are ever so slightly fuzzy to the touch as well.  Later on, there will be large white flowers but for now, I’m enjoying these leaves!

Young oak-leaved hydrangea leaves

As well as all the greens, I wanted to show you these.  These are cowslips, or Primula veris, and they do have green leaves, but the reason I’m showing them to you is that they’re yellow – and all will be revealed in a minute!  I grew them originally from seeds but that was almost 19 years ago when we first moved to this house and now, they pop up wherever they feel like.  I like that, I like that they feel at home here and they want to come back every year.

Yellow cowslip flowers in a green grassy border

The first of the Welsh poppies (Papaver cambricum) are out now as well …

Yellow Welsh poppy flowers against a background of green leaves

Oh, the bees love them!  Isn’t it good to see the bumble bees again after the Winter?  We’ve had some huge ones in the garden, and some that are obviously looking for some place safe to build a nest so I hope they can find somewhere in amongst the borders that they like.

A bumble bee gathering pollen inside a Welsh poppy flower

And finally, primroses growing along the grass verge of a footpath.  They look almost white in this photo after the bright yellow of the cowslips and poppies, but they are definitely yellow, the palest of yellows and so lovely to see.

Pale yellow primrose flowers with a brighter yellow centre in a grassy verge

And the reason for the yellows with all the greens?

My Spring Green yarn!

A ball of West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply in four shades of green and yellow stripes. The yarn is on a white background and surrounded by leaves of various shades of green and some yellow flowers

Can you see where the colours came from?  They came from all around!  Shades of green and the yellows from the hedgerow … I look at the colours and I can see dog walks, the garden, the woodlands – and not just around our house either but everywhere we go.  I love them!

This yarn is one of the Seasons collection shades that I created with West Yorkshire Spinners and you can read the original inspiration post here.  The yarn is available from WYS stockists and online yarn stores, and you can find a list of stockists here.

 

I’ve almost finished my Winter Icicle Emergency Socks and I’ll need a new cast on – I’ve got a few choices but these greens are calling to me very loudly at the moment.  I was going to knit for big daughter’s friend’s baby which will be due soon (I’ve just found the post where I talked about this – and it was during the Winter Haven KAL in January!!  I know I’ve had a few other things on my needles, but how has the time flown like this?!) and I wanted to use Spring Green so if I’m going to do that, I’ll need to get a move on or the baby will be starting primary school before I’ve finished 🙂

That’s it from me today, I hope you have plenty of green to lift your spirits where you live and that you have a lovely weekend!  See you soon! xx

 

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24 Responses

  1. Geeha says:

    Lovely photos and colours. On my slow daily walk I drink them all in. Like you I find the time is flying, I am still being amazed that the evenings are so bright!

    • winwickmum says:

      It’s staying light much later now, isn’t it? It was gone 9pm the other night before it felt like it was properly dark outside 🙂 xx

  2. Corinne says:

    Looking at green plants is food for the soul! Lovely photos and beautiful yarn. I don’t suit green clothing, but maybe socks are ok!
    One of my phrases I remember from French lessons was, ” I love Spring best, J’aime meilleur le printemps.” (Not sure if this is the correct spelling though!) We all were asked which was our favourite season, and most said Summer or Winter, but I didn’t follow the same drummer…nothing’s changed.

    • winwickmum says:

      Ha ha, I love it! I dance to a different tune as well, I think the world needs people like us! 🤣 I think you’d get away with green socks if you wanted to wear them – socks always feel like secret clothing where you can wear any colour you like! 🙂 xx

  3. Lindy says:

    I love autumn colours, but there is nothing to beat the bright pale green of emerging leaves, there is a beech hedge opposite my window, just going for it. And hawthorn develops a pink-brown flush with the green which is amazing.

    • winwickmum says:

      Ooh, you are living in the right place for those lovely leaves! We’ve got a hawthorn hedge and it’s looking good now, the flowers are out too which is lovely to see! 🙂 xx

  4. Pam says:

    I can remember as a child being told that the red berries of the arum lily were ‘snakes berries’, and that snakes lived near them and ate them. Obviously to scare us enough not to go near a poisonous plant. Makes me smile now to remember that.

  5. Margaret. Longden says:

    If I could only have one colour, it would be green. Just so uplifting. I seem to have missed your post about your seasons collection but now I have found it I must congratulate you on them – glorious!

    • winwickmum says:

      Thank you, I’m glad you like them! The Seasons yarns came out in 2021 when the world was still an upside down place but I’m glad you’ve found the posts now 🙂 xx

  6. Green is my favourite colour, it’s restful, full of hope and promise. I know what you mean about Sycamores, the bane of my life in our previous house. Sticky weepy sap all over the car, fluffy flowers stuck on top. The seeds and flowers trodden in the car and house. Flowers trapped under the wipers, smeared streaks across the windscreen. We got them trimmed as best we could, despite the protection order on the trees in the village. Most people regard the sycamore tree as a weed… we still couldn’t get rid of them. Anyway, all the best with your Spring Green yarn. Cx

    • winwickmum says:

      Yes, that all sounds very familiar! We were lucky that our trees didn’t have any orders on them so when the electricity company needed to cut one of them because it was close to power lines, we let them be creative, and the other was dropped by a large amount for safety reasons so we’ve been free of the sap for a few years now and it’s been lovely! 🙂 xx

  7. Susan Rayner says:

    The photos are just beautiful – I too go into raptures about green t this time of year – it took me long enough – I wore a very unattractive greeen school uniform as a child and loathed green for many years! But spring leaves and the fresh feel of the green hedgerows and trees are just wonderful – we have lots of Horse Chestnuts around here with pink and white candles – and also primula and Welsh poppies in abundance in the garden. Thank you for a very cheering post!

    • winwickmum says:

      I had to wear a green shirt for school so I absolutely understand where you’re coming from – but these are different greens and they’re lovely! The horse chestnut candles aren’t quite out here but it won’t be long, I’m looking forward to it! 🙂 xx

  8. Suzanne Ragsdale says:

    I live in the coastal Pacific Northwest. We are pretty green all year long but, in the spring it gets brighter

  9. Lindsay says:

    Hi Christine, great minds think alike! As I was driving home on Thursday from the local supermarket, I was thinking about the different greens all around me – the trees, the hedges, the fields of different cereals and the grass verges. Then I turned a corner and there was a field of oilseed rape in full bloom – a beautiful yellow! I know there are lots of people who suffer badly with hay fever this time of year but, for me (and my husband) it is the most vibrant time and the colours around us are a sign of joy and hope. Give us Spring any time! Enjoy your blogs and look forward to them every Friday. BW Lindsay.

    • winwickmum says:

      I haven’t seen quite so much oilseed rape around us this year, the farmers must be rotating the crops, but it’s such a vibrant yellow colour, isn’t it? I bet that was an amazing sight! I’m really glad you enjoy the blog, thank you 🙂 xx

  10. Chris Hailebaxter says:

    Well what a day. I sat down to read your email and also found that my copy of Knitting had arrived and inside was an item called “Must Knit:” which promoted socks as the perfect portable project and recommended getting started with Winwick Mum’s sock tutorials. How’s that for free publicity (pg 95)

    • winwickmum says:

      Wow, that’s amazing, thank you for telling me, I had no idea! Well, if that encourages a few more people to try sock knitting then that has to be a good thing – everybody should be able to wear hand knit socks! 🙂 xx

  11. Kathy Augustine says:

    What lovely photos! Thank you!

  12. Christine Knowler says:

    The Spring early Summer garden border is probably my favourite. We have the arum lily but it is in the front garden tucked in by the hedge. I was away at the weekend and I’ve come back to lots of our foxgloves in flower. I know what you mean about the buzzing of bees inside the flowers. 🙂

  13. The oak-leaf hydrangeas are flowering in my backyard and in yards around our neighborhood here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. So wonderful to see.

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