Open your eyes, look around you. There is treasure everywhere.
This is true, but only if you know how to look.
At this time of year, I’m always reminded of that.
We wait for months for the first signs of spring. There are the false starts: the odd warm day that fills us with hope, a shaft of sunlight that feels like a promise. And then - bam! Storms, hailstones, freezing weather. Winter reminds us it hasn’t quite finished with us yet.
But behind the scenes, nature is still quietly preparing. Bulbs push up their first brave green shoots. Tiny buds appear, tightly furled, easy to miss. Then suddenly, in the space of just a few days, everything seems to burst into bloom. Cherry, crabapple and pear trees transform almost overnight.
It’s sakura time.
And yet, so often, life gets in the way.
You’re busy. Work is demanding. Family needs your attention. Your mind is full, your heart is elsewhere. Then one day you look up, step outside, and realise the blossom has already fallen - shrivelled petals scattered across the pavement.
You missed it.
This happens every year, even to me.
Even though I like to think I’m more in tune with nature and the changing of the seasons, somehow life still manages to pull me into its own weather systems. But perhaps it’s a little like meditation: the value is not in getting it perfect, but in gently returning your attention. Keep trying. Keep looking.
Because soon it will be the next plant’s turn to do its thing.
Next in my viewfinder is lily of the valley, one of my favourite plants of all time.
It has always held a very special place in my heart. My wedding bouquet was a simple bunch of this dainty flower, long before Kate Middleton had the same idea. And of course, there’s my daughter Lily - short for Elizabeth, though we always intended to call her Lily.
For her 18th birthday last year, I wanted to create something deeply personal and truly special for her: a piece of jewellery that would tell her story. Naturally, lily of the valley had to be part of the design, alongside her zodiac sign and a few other hidden details that hold meaning just for her.
Plants in Bloom This Week:
Wisteria
Lilac
Clematis (spot the photo bombing statement earrings - click here to view)
Plants in You Missed (but look out for them next year:
Cherry blossom with ethereal white and green petals (featuring statement earrings with green amethyst and olive quartz - click here to view)
Daphne odora
Magnolia