I spend so much of my walking time seeking out the delicate notes of wild flowers that it's a shock to see the horticultural brassiness of the cultivated varieties in my tiny front garden. But this week the bloodshot eyeball peony and the Dame Edna gladioli are visual tricks that are somehow trashy in their exuberance in comparison to the delicacy of the ragged robin, the stitchwort and the many varieties of the carrot family that Jackson Pollock and Miro the hedgerows.If I was to determine which of these two opposites describes me, I would have to go for the blowsy, in the same way that I'm a Bernese dog person and would give nil house room to a chihuahua. But it's those wild fragile blooms that attract me; those banks awash with the froth of cow parsley, red campion and bluebells just steps from my door.
Oh, and before I forget the sensation, today I smelled coriander in the orchard. There are no cultivated herbs planted there, so I stopped and sniffed again. I just adore the scent and taste of coriander; along with thyme it is my favourite herb, but it was not supposed to be there. And then I pulled down to my nose the nearest branch of apple blossom and inhaled. Yes. A definite but subtle hint of coriander. I felt a Jilly Goolden moment come upon me as I checked that it was a cider apple, a Bulmers Norman in fact.
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4 comments:
Spring is teh best time of year for flowers I think. They are such wonderful colours and smells.
Oh I couldn't agree more about the wild flowers. When out walking last week I could have screamed at the Rhododendrons to go away.
I concentrated on the bird's foot trefoil, mayflower, celandine and lots of other delicate but thrilling delights.
Oh coriander - I buy bags of it every week for I adore it and so does my hubby. My neighbours grow it and when my wee Jack Russell went for a trip through their veg patch he came back smelling so great that I could have eaten him there and then. Thankfully he doesn't reside in a famine culture like North Korea as his self basting abilities would have gotten him munched by now!
F'pot - it's almost too much to take in!
Kaz - the birds foot trefoil is not out yet, but there is pignut everywhere - lovely stuff.
MOB - I urge you to plant coriander seeds in a pot in the kitchen or in a window box - it's so easy! And a pack of seeds is a lot less than a bunch of the stuff from the supermarket...and there it is, on tap, urging you to make a Thai green curry..
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