With 60% of North America covered in wintry mixes of precipitation to greater or lesser degrees, what is lovelier than the idea of spring? People want to put away sweaters and mittens and pull on something that appears more fashionable and, for many anyway, frilly. When heating was primitive at best, how much more must those in the Regency have craved for warm breezes and sunshine heralding spring?
One great herald of spring is flowers. During the Regency, around the time when tulips bloom in those northern climes, snowdrops were prevalent in English gardens. Then come the bluebells. These grow in for an al fresco meal or meeting.
Other spring flowers to consider including are clematis. Thesse are small pink flowers and grow on walls, even covering them with their delicate blooms. And we mustn’t forget one of my personal favorite–wisteria. They can be nearly purple, one of my favorite colors, and the scent is heavenly.
I have never smelled a bluebell, but I have read that they, too, smell delightful when carpeting an English wood.
So let us think spring on this winter’s day and imagine our favorite Regency hero and heroine strolling hand-in-hand through an English garden or woodland and remember that spring always follows winter like the promise of eternal life.
Originally posted 2014-02-17 10:00:00.