The exhibition area is located near the beautiful Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, so there is plenty to see during and after the show.

The big tent is the centre of it all, and it is packed with flowers and arrangements in beautiful colours. More than 100 nurseries are represented, and only the most perfect flowers are on show.

Some of the highlights will be demonstrations, talks, botanical and flower art, great food and lots of possibilities to do some shopping for the garden at home.

Fotos: © Mia Folkmann

Right now spring is at its peak in the Keukenhof flower park near Lisse in the Netherlands. The flowers are a bit late this year because of the cold winter, and when I was there last weekend, they hadn’t all unfolded. But there was still plenty to see.

Everywhere you could see impressive flowerbeds in all colours, and the greenhouses were almost overwhelming – the beautiful sight of so many flowers was absolutely incredible.

Keukenhof was originally the hunting ground of one of the castles in the Netherlands and also the place where you picked herbs for the kitchen – “keuken” means kitchen in Dutch. Later new owners of the castle had the garden designed in the English landscape style, and today Keukenhof belongs to a fund.

Since 1949, the garden has been open to the public as a place where the many flower growers in the area exhibit their plants, and every year kilos of seeds are sown and kilos of bulbs planted.

The castle Keukenhof is now a museum, and it is surrounded by a lovely park that you are welcome to walk in. And the flowerpark is open until May 20, so there is still time to see the fabulous show of blooming beauties.

Foto: © Mia Folkmann

A new exhibition has recently started at the National Gallery of Copenhagen and it will last until October.

The exhibition “Flowers and world views” displays 300 works of art focusing on nature’s beautiful creations, while it at the same time gives an impression of the importance of flowers, fruits and plants in art history.

Some works are well known while others never or rarely have been exhibited before. Most come from the royal collections, including the collected works of flower paintings – the Gottorp Codex – that has just been through an extensive restoration.

It was the talented flower painter Hans Simon Holtzbecker who produced a pictorial record of all the flowers and plants that grew in Gottorp castle garden. Some of them were painted on the spot; others were sent to the artist’s studio in Hamburg, where they were captured with watercolours (gouache) on parchment. His flower paintings were incredibly detailed, and they were done with very vivid colours.

These four handmade books from the 1600s with their collection of the most beautiful flower paintings lay hidden and forgotten in the library of Gottorp Castle for many years and only came to light when they were handed over to the Danish National Gallery of Art.

Photo: ©  SMK

Winter has gone I think – at least in Worcestershire. But it is still cold, and there is still snow on the Malvern Hills and also on the hills in the Cotswolds, where I was on the lookout for signs of spring…

As I have done many times before I went to Stow-on-the-Wold, where I know a cosy café with delicious cakes and a good book shop with a very friendly dog – and after visiting both I went for a walk.

There were many people in the town because of an Antique Fair, but you didn’t have to move very far away from the centre to feel the town’s peaceful atmosphere.

And the signs of spring appeared in containers and beds in front of the houses; a restaurant had filled its window boxes with hyacinths, which were just waiting for a little more heat from the sun.

Afterwards I continued the journey to Broadway and Snowshill, where I was to pick up supplies of lovely lavender soaps for my shop. Again, there were lots of signs of spring – they were small, but they were there. Everywhere…!

Fotos: © Mia Folkmann

And then came the snow! Lots of it – but this is actually only the second time, I myself see Hollymount covered in snow, so it doesn’t happen too often.

I have rented Hollymount out as a self catering holiday home for many years now, but from this year I’ll do it myself via the international site, HomeAway. In this way I can rent out the house, while I am in Denmark and combine it with Bed and Breakfast, while I am in England.

I am looking forward to having guests from Denmark and everywhere else in the world. Hollymount is a wonderful place, and I will be pleased to share all the good experiences with those, who love beautiful nature with wide views, lots of animals of all kinds and peace and quiet.

We braced the cold weather and went to Worcester. The longest river of Great Britain, the Severn, passes through the city, and adjacent to it lays Worcester Cathedral, architecturally considered to be one of England’s most exciting cathedrals. And it IS impressing with beautifully decorated ceilings high, high above the arches.

Every Sunday between 9.30 and 10.30 the cathedral bells are ringing, and it is done by voluntary “bell ringers”. There are 15 giant bells with a total of 16 tons, so it’s probably not easy to get the tones right.

Worcester is a city with many old half-timbered houses, especially in Friar Street – just behind the main street with all the shops. Greyfriars’ House is one of the most beautiful, and it was built in 1480 by a wealthy brewer. The house was decorated as it was appropriate for a man of position, and exhibitions in the house shows the changes over the years. Behind the house is a lovely garden where you can drink afternoon tea in the summer.

But today we preferred a visit to the beautiful bookstore and an indoor coffee at Costa cafe…

The weather forecast has promised snow, but I still haven’t seen any. Today has been beautiful with sun and clear sky, and I have enjoyed staying here in my very old house.

From the windows I have a beautiful view to the Malvern Hills, and I went for a walk there earlier today. The town has a very elevated position, and walking can be quit strenuous – but nevertheless it’s always a pleasure. If you feel like walking in the hills, you will get a treat at the top – the view from there is simply fantastic.

This way I’ll get the best of two worlds, and I do love to travel. Even this time of year has rewarding moments and lovely sunny spells, and I am so looking forward to visiting my favourite villages and places.

This little village is Broadway, and I go there as often as I can. Last time I visited was in November, and as you can see the weather was beautiful.

Broadway has always been an inspiration for artists and the like – one of them was William Morris, who loved the area and at one time lived in the little tower close to the village.

Photo: ©  Mia Folkmann

If you see a bird persistently picking around the hole of nest box, it is not necessarily an attempt to make the entrance bigger, but rather a way of putting a mark – a sort of “Sold” sign – on the nest box.

Especially the blue tits and starlings have this kind of behaviour. They do their best to show the fellow species that the chosen nest box is occupied, before they disappear for some time to prepare for the upcoming breeding season. Over the next few months the birds must find a suitable mate and plenty of food to keep them going, when eggs and chicks report their arrival.

If you’ve got a nest box as present for Christmas, it’s wise to set it up now. According to the association it is best if the box is facing north-east to minimize the exposure of sun and wind – unless a tree or a building provides plenty of shade and shelter.

Photo: ©  Mia Folkmann

And every time I think about the advertisement from the coffee company GEVALIA: What would you offer unexpected guests…

SKYWATCH is a weekly gathering of sky lovers and sky watchers. Please join us…

Photo: ©  Mia Folkmann