Sneezeworts and barberry bushes

A snail’s tale; a sluggish race meet; a change of season for flower fashionistas

When the spring weather is wet, slugs come out for track meets, lining up, and racing each other. With their engines running, pumping with excitement, they line up on the tarmac of the neighbourhood sidewalk in the broad daylight. VROoooM, and then they are OFF!! Leaving their singly footprinted tread-trails behind them.

In these recent rainy days, there is one flower which is well equipped to cope with the wet, wind, and the cold.

It is the Lenten Rose or Hellebore. The Germans call it the sneezewort. The photos above and below are taken from a snail’s eye view. That’s because the flower faces downwards by habit.

From a human being’s point of the view the flower looks and acts like an umbrella. The spring rain runs off the flower, keeping it nice and dry inside.

The barberry is still wearing its winter outfit in last year’s fashionable Cayenne and Viva Magenta.

Barberry bushes often have spoon-shaped leaves. This variety has little spikes on the leaf-edge, that remind us of slug horns, holly, or agaves.

The winter and spring cherry tree looks magnificent in its oriental splendour.