The scents of early May

 

There are lots of plants blooming at the moment as we continue into late Spring/early Summer.  Above are lilies of the valley, grown in a pot. I tried to grow them in the garden but they weren't happy.  They seem OK in a pot at the moment, so I am enjoying them.  They always remind me of my Mum as her favourite fragrance was Yardley Lily of the Valley.

image from Amazon UK

She always wore it when she went out and I remember when I was little and she would come to say goodnight - the waft of that fragrance as she went out of the room has stayed with me.

The Choisya White Dazzler is flowering away at the front door and greets me with a scent of honey, I think. (It is a type of Mexican Orange Blossom, but I can't smell any oranges!) As it is in a more enclosed space, the scent is quite noticeable.

The flowers are really pretty and bring me a lot of joy.  

Things to make me feel cheerful

 Well, it's not exactly 'a host of golden daffodils', but it is enough to make me smile.  I have watched these daffodils growing for the past few weeks and now they are in full flower.  There was even  some sun shining on them too, albeit briefly.

  I have enjoyed my first bit of proper gardening today and it was lovely!  I pruned the clematis and roses, and filled my green bin with all the prunings.  I noticed all the buds starting to grow and it gave me a very optimistic feeling, (even though the weather is supposed to be colder again).  I also potted on some little plug plants (pinks) and planted some lily of the valley, which I haven't been very lucky with in the past, but these are 'giant' ones (it just means bigger flowers) and I'll keep my fingers crossed for success this time.  Lily of the valley always reminds me of Mum, as when I was little and Mum was going out, she would come and say goodnight and I would be surrounded by a cloud of her lily of the valley scent.  Perfume is incredibly evocative.