Spring arrived early this year; my best guess is three weeks early. Inevitable, I suppose, considering the months of unremitting rain and very little frost.
The resident bees quickly cottoned on to the unseasonal mildness and busied themselves among the blooms of camellias, hellebores, snowdrops and snowflakes. Great Comp Garden is a paradise for pollinators, with pollen and nectar available for most of the year; this feast is supplemented by the adjacent farm, where 60 acres of oilseed rape was sown last autumn. The floral spectacle next door coordinates beautifully with our magnolias, rhododendrons and azaleas within the garden.
