The Grannies have started to invade my border! Each spring it’s interesting to see where they will pop up. Often they march across the garden, cutting through my view from the kitchen window. The weather needs to be warmer for the flowers to open & the beauty of these plants to be enjoyed but my Grannies’ Bonnets look full of promise. The beauty of these plants is that they come for free. I did buy two or three plants years ago without realising that they self seed & cross… Over time there has been quite a mix of coloured bonnets appear in the border. Of course their real name is Aquilegia, but I prefer to think of them as Grannies bonnets. This describes the flower perfectly.

I confess some are more attractive than others. I love the blues, especially the darker moody blue shades, almost purple. One or two pale pinks remain, but when I spot one in a wishy washy shade I have learned to remove the flower head before it sets seed.

The fresh green foliage is providing great ground cover & the flower spike already shooting up with the promise of colour to come. Now all I need do is wait, patiently to see what colour Mother Nature has chosen for me this year. I’m rather hopeful of some moody blues…