Every month, Chloris of The Blooming Garden invites us to share our top ten blooms; for some of us, even in February it is hard to select just ten, despite grouping our hellebores or snowdrops as one. I am not sure how many I have photographed for this post, and they may not necessarily be the best of them – after all, what is ‘the best’? The ones that make the most impact? The ones that bring the most pleasure? The ones that have crept up behind me and whispered ”boo!”? I don’t know, but here they are, starting with the glorious Prunus mume ‘Beni Chidori’ above…

Growing in what is a particularly fragrant corner of the shrub border, the prunus rubs shoulders with Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ and Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ (below), all three contributing a delicious hint of perfume when the sun chances to grant us a…