Five Favourite May Flowers
Flowers start trickling in from March and April and then May arrives and there is a sudden abundance of Spring flowers. May brings with it better weather, the Chelsea Flower Show and lots of life and colour to our landscape, and is a favourite month amongst gardeners and florists.
Peony
It would be amiss not to mention the Peony. A slightly obvious choice but who doesn’t love this big blousy dramatic flower? It has a beautiful scent and soft ruffles and some varieties, like Coral Charm, change colour as they age - starting as a vibrant coral or pink and softening to a cream or white. Their fleeting appearance makes them all the more special and their symbolism, representing love, honour, prosperity and good luck, make them a favourite choice for a wedding flower.
Wisteria
Another showstopper and with the most incredible scent. If you’re close enough to RHS Wisley, and a lover of Wisteria, then a visit during its flowering season is a must. They have the most amazing 75m-long Wisteria Walk, which features an arched walkway that is draped with purple and white Wisteria. The sight and smell is incredible.
Buttercup
An understated beauty, it offers a bright pop of colour but is a delicate little flower and is, I think, synonymous with the English countryside and sunny fields in May. They also offer a good dose of childhood nostalgia, thanks to the timeless buttercup test.
Foxglove
I can’t see a foxglove without thinking of the Flower Fairies, so it’s another nod to happy childhood memories for me. That aside they are a beautiful cottage garden style flower, their tall spires peeping up above ferns in hedgerows and country lanes bringing colour and vibrancy to an otherwise very green landscape. The bumble bees love them too.
Lilac
I’m spotting a common thread - scent! Lilac has to be the runaway winner when it comes to scent. It stops you in your tracks when you walk past it, and its clusters of small fragrant flowers add a sense of romanticism to any flower arrangement.
There you go, my five favourites May flowers, but the list could easily go on. It’s the month to get outdoors, visit some gardens and soak up Mays beautiful bounty.
