How Does Your Garden Grow *3.
I love Aquilegia, or Columbine flowers.
Their common name is ‘Granny’s Bonnet’.
But my granny wouldn’t have been seen dead (and certainly not alive!)
in a bonnet like this.
Granny’s Bonnet on a hazy morning.
They always make me think of light-footed dancers in frilly tutus,
effortlessly drifting over flowerbeds…
Surfacing in new and surprising colours, just where they please the next year!
Here are some of the beautifully dressed acts appearing in my garden, lighting up the shady boarders this Spring…
From Cecily Mary Barker’s beautiful Flower Fairies book, which my girls and I so enjoyed when they were young,
here is the accompanying poem…
The Song of the Columbine Fairy
Who shall the chosen fairy be
For letter C?
There’s Candytuft, and Cornflower blue,
Campanula and Crocus too,
Chrysanthemum so bold and fine,
And the pretty dancing Columbine.
Yes, Columbine! the choice is she;
And with her, see,
An elfin piper, piping sweet
A little tune for those light feet
That dance among the leaves and flowers
In someone’s garden.
(is it ours?)
Peeping through the Trellis before the day begins.
Last Sunday was International Dawn Chorus Day.
I was up early as ever (groan) ready to prepare breakfast for guests we had staying.
The bread was finishing baking and the coffee brewing.
I nipped out and took these shots as the sun gently heralded the start of what turned out to be a fantastically sunny Bank Holiday Weekend Sunday…
Thank goodness the weather doesn’t always listen to the forecast!
Now I’m off to check out what the other How Does Your Garden Grow participants have been doing in their gardens last week…
Follow the pink HDYGG flower on the right sidebar to join Annie at http://mammasaurus.co.uk and the other inspirational gardeners 🙂
What have you been doing in your garden this week?
emmasouthlondon 
I am amazed at how many kinds and colors of columbines you have in your garden, Emma! They are so pretty! You must have a beautiful yard. Are plants easy to grow where you live?
To be honest, Shari, as long as the soil isn’t waterlogged, I think Columbines would grow anywhere – they dance around as they like – not needing much attention and popping up where they choose in later years. And, in different colour combinations too – that’s why I love them – it’s a different show every year! Give them a go!
Columbine are one of my most favorite flowers. Lovely post.. 🙂
aren’t they pretty flowers… much to my surprise and delight, a few have popped up in our border (obviously planted by a previous resident) x
I love Aquilegia too, and have some in my garden. On a total aside, my Papa was a vicar and one of his parishioners was Cecily Mary Barker, I’m very lucky to have a signed book of hers #HDYGG
It was SUCH a great weekends weather wasn’t it? The rains making up for it now though 😉
I love Aquilegia, I saw them come up in the garden each year as if by magic but only recently discovered their names. They are just so pretty – I see what you mean about frilly tutus too!
Thanks for joining in again xx
Lovely post (I had that book too) and such pretty flowers! :o)
It is a beautiful book –
my girls used to spend hours tracing the fairies and colouring them in –
such gentle, imaginative pictures.
Emma 🙂
I love your blooms. They look so healthy esp with the weather shining brightly on them =) #HDYGG
your garden is so pretty you must be working hard in it all the time
If only..!
I snatch time for the garden when I can – it’s my tonic, but the time is hard to find!!
Thank you, though. E 🙂
I bought an Aquilegia for our front garden this year and now having seen all those colours I want more! I use to read the Flower Fairies books when I was little but had completely forgotten about them until I read your post 🙂
Why don’t you get another Aquilegia, then see what new colours arrive in future years – they’re so easy and pretty – nature does most of the work!
Emma 🙂
They are really beautiful, such gorgeous colours. I loved the Flower Fairy books when I was a girl, you’ve brought back some lovely memories there x #HDYGG