Spring Flowers to Give us Hope Quiz

Answer: Candlemas

The picture shows snowdrops, complete with snow in the background, which are among the earliest plants to flower each year in the northern hemisphere. They are also known as Candlemas bells, as they are in bloom around Candlemas Day, which falls on 2nd February. According to folklore, they are a symbol of hope as an angel turned a snowflake into the flower to show Eve that winter would end. Seeing snowdrops in bloom still has that effect on many of us who are looking forward to warmer weather at the beginning of each year.

Answer: Celandine

The lesser celandine grows low to the ground and is unrelated to the much taller greater celandine. It grows in woods and on grassy verges and resembles the buttercup in its colour but has a more open flower, as shown in the photo. It flowers in the UK between January and April.

Answer: Grape

The British call muscari the grape hyacinth - muscari and hyacinths are in the same family and sub family. They have been known as muscari since at least the early seventeenth century. They bloom in the UK in spring and come in various shades of blue. They are easy to grow from bulbs and spread readily.

Answer: Asia

In Europe, the camellia is grown for ornamental purposes, having been brought to the UK in the first half of the eighteenth century. In Asia, it has other important uses - Camellia sinensis is the name of the plant used for tea. The plant was named for the botanist Georg Kamel.

As can be seen in the photo, the leaves are stiff and glossy, and, depending on the variety, blooms can appear as early as January in the UK.

Answer: Garlic

Wild garlic is also known as ramson, wood garlic and, as the scientific name suggests, bear's garlic. It grows readily in woodland areas, especially damp parts, and the smell is unmistakeably garlic. The flowers grow on a tall stalk and are a useful source of food for insects and bees.

The leaves can be used in cookery, as can the bulbs but these are best left to ensure the plant survives.

Answer: It is very invasive

The usual variety of periwinkle grown is called Vinca major, with the common name of blue periwinkle, and it originated in the Mediterranean area of Europe. It is an evergreen, so the leaves provide colour during the winter, and with the flowers appearing early in the year.

The stems can trail over the ground, with roots forming on each part, so periwinkles can quickly take over a garden if not kept under control, so this can be a drawback. Of course, if you want a quick growing, ground covering plant, then this could be top of your list.

Answer: True

Forsythia is a member of the olive family, and grows in the UK as a shrub. producing the bright and cheerful yellow flowers you can see in the photo. The species that grows in Britain was named for William Forsyth who was an eighteenth century botanist who was one of the founders of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1804. Forsyth died only a few months later. Unusually, the flowers of forsythia, blooming in early spring, appear before the leaves.

Answer: Cowslip

If the photo showed the leaves, you'd see how similar they are to those of the primrose, which is Primula vulgaris. The flowers are different, though, with cowslips having much longer stems and multiple flowers on each stem. They can be bought to grow in gardens but are mainly classed as wild flowers.

Answer: French for thought

Wild pansies are much smaller than their garden counterparts, which have been cross bred to increase the size and colours available. They have been popular as a garden flower in the UK since the early nineteenth century. The name of pansy is derived from pensée, a French word which means thought - think of the English pensive, to be lost in thought, originating in Latin. Most pansies flower from spring into summer, but winter flowering varieties have been developed to give some much needed colour during the darkest months of the northern hemisphere's winter.

Answer: Iberian Peninsula

The native UK bluebell has flowers of a darkish blue, which appear on only one side of the stem, which droops slightly with the weight. Spanish bluebells are paler in colour with blooms all around the stem which, as a result, stays upright. The two varieties cross-pollinate, so the native bluebell is slowly disappearing due to hybridisation. Bluebells can be grown in the garden, but the bulbs multiply quickly - that's why they are such an impressive sight in woodland when in bloom - so they need to be kept under control.

On a personal note, my garden was overrun with bluebells when I moved in. The first year I dug up over 500 bulbs (which I donated to a garden charity) and still have to thin them out each spring after they flower. You can have too much of a good thing.