But it is the violets that are perhaps my favourite of the spring time plants.

They start in the corner of my garden beneath the boughs of the mature linden tree and spread across the lawn, their purple flowers like jewels in a sea of green. Violet honey is one of my favourite things to make, though only in small batches because I just can’t bring myself to pick too many of the beautiful blooms!

Three poems celebrating the hazel catkin as a harbinger of spring.