I’m not much of a gardener but in an effort to turn the garden in our rented flat in Clapham, South London into a proper garden (it had been full of builders rubble with old windows dumped behind a tree), I planted loads of bulbs and plants. It was very hit and miss planting but in the lockdown spring of 2020 the garden came into its own. Daffodils and Tulips came up through the compacted rootbound soil. It was so hot that it felt like early summer, and because half of the garden is overshadowed by trees, the light hitting the plants was high contrast, the flowers were bathed in sunlight and the leaves in shadow. My strange planting also meant that tulips were growing through a unstoppable mound of wild garlic (I’ve tried to thin down the clumps of wild garlic bulbs, but no joy yet). I shot the flowers so they were coming out of the dark, because it made the colours more intense and reminded me of the floral fabric patterns in the curtains and coverings I had grown up with in my parents and grandparents houses. As I write the garden is full of snowdrops and the daffodil leaves have appeared. Looking forward to spring 2021.

Forget-me-nots © Rebecca Douglas-Home 2020

Last of the tulips © Rebecca Douglas-Home 2020

Lockdown Summer © Rebecca Douglas-Home 2020

Tulips growing through wild garlic © Rebecca Douglas-Home 2020

Flower at dusk © Rebecca Douglas-Home 2020

Lockdown Spring 2020

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