The Fife Bloom Calendar
A month-by-month record of what comes into flower across Fife — from the first snowdrops at Cambo to the heather on the Lomond Hills. Beautiful gardens, and good gardening, start with knowing the local rhythm.
January
Deep winter
Snowdrops
Galanthus nivalis
First flowers of the year, usually late Jan in sheltered Fife gardens.
Cambo Estate (Kingsbarns) hosts the famous Snowdrops Festival.
Winter aconite
Eranthis hyemalis
Bright yellow cups under bare trees.
Older gardens with mature canopies.
Witch hazel
Hamamelis
Scented spidery flowers on bare branches.
Specimen shrubs in established gardens.
February
Late winter
Snowdrops (peak)
Full carpets across woodland gardens.
Hill of Tarvit, Cambo, Falkland Palace gardens.
Crocus
Crocus tommasinianus
First pollen for early bees on warm days.
Lawns and verges everywhere.
Hellebores
Helleborus
Lenten roses in deep purple, pink and white.
Shaded borders.
March
Early spring
Daffodils
Narcissus
The big show. Verges, gardens and parks light up.
Everywhere — but Cupar, St Andrews and Falkland are spectacular.
Forsythia
Electric yellow on bare branches before leaves.
Garden hedges and shrubberies.
Primroses
Primula vulgaris
Native pale-yellow primroses in damp hedgerows.
Woodland edges across Fife.
April
Mid spring
Gorse
Ulex europaeus
The hillsides turn coconut-scented yellow. A defining Fife sight.
Coastal cliffs, hillsides and the Lomond Hills.
Cherry blossom
Streets in St Andrews and Cupar fill with pink and white.
Town avenues and gardens.
Wood anemones
Anemone nemorosa
Carpets of white stars in old woodland.
Tentsmuir, Falkland estate woods.
Dandelions
A critical first food source for queen bumblebees — don't mow them off too soon.
Lawns and verges.
MayIn bloom now
Late spring
Bluebells
Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Native bluebell carpets in ancient woodland.
Tentsmuir Forest, Birnie & Gaddon Lochs, Backmuir Wood.
Hawthorn (may)
Crataegus monogyna
White hedgerows giving rise to the saying "ne'er cast a clout till may is out".
Country hedges across Fife.
Apple & pear blossom
Orchards in pink-white.
Kettle, Falkland, old walled gardens.
Cow parsley
Anthriscus sylvestris
Frothy white verges along every lane.
Country roads.
June
Early summer
Foxgloves
Digitalis purpurea
Tall spires in pink and white — beloved by bumblebees.
Woodland edges, country gardens.
Wild roses (dog rose)
Rosa canina
Pale pink five-petalled flowers tumbling through hedges.
Field hedges across Fife.
Elderflower
Sambucus nigra
Creamy umbels — cordial season begins.
Hedgerows and waste ground.
Oxeye daisy
Knee-high meadow daisies on uncut verges.
Roadside meadows.
July
High summer
Lavender
Coastal gardens at their fragrant best.
St Andrews, Crail, Pittenweem cottage gardens.
Meadowsweet
Filipendula ulmaria
Frothy almond-scented cream flowers in damp ground.
Burnsides and wet meadows.
Knapweed & scabious
Purple meadow flowers loved by butterflies.
Uncut meadows, coastal paths.
Roses (garden)
Peak rose season in established gardens.
Falkland Palace gardens, Cambo walled garden.
August
Late summer
Heather
Calluna vulgaris
The Lomond and Ochil hills turn purple.
Lomond Hills Regional Park.
Rosebay willowherb
Tall pink fireweed reclaiming bare ground.
Verges, embankments and old fields.
Sea aster
Coastal salt-tolerant lilac daisies.
Tay estuary saltmarshes.
Hydrangea
Peak colour on garden mopheads — coastal gardens favour the blues.
St Andrews, Tayport gardens.
September
Early autumn
Sedum
Pink late-summer plates feeding the last butterflies.
Garden borders, dry walls.
Rowan berries
Sorbus aucuparia
Trees groan with scarlet berries — feast for blackbirds.
Streets, gardens, hill ground.
Asters (Michaelmas daisies)
Purple and mauve garden sprays.
Cottage gardens.
Late roses
Repeat-flowering varieties keep going right into October.
Garden borders.
October
Mid autumn
Acer & cherry leaf colour
Reds, ambers and yellows peak in mid-October.
St Andrews Botanic Garden, Cambo, Falkland.
Cyclamen
Cyclamen hederifolium
Pink miniature swans under trees.
Shady garden corners.
Crab apples
Trees laden with miniature jewel-coloured fruit.
Streets and gardens.
Ivy (in flower)
Hedera helix
Crucial late nectar for ivy bees and wasps.
Walls, fences, tree trunks.
November
Late autumn
Beech leaves (russet)
Hedges hold copper leaves all winter.
Country gardens and field hedges.
Late mahonia
Bright yellow racemes — first nectar for early-emerging bumblebees.
Garden shrubberies.
Holly berries
Red berry display begins.
Country hedges.
December
Early winter
Winter-flowering cherry
Prunus subhirtella
Tiny pale-pink blossoms on bare branches in mild spells.
Town gardens.
Hellebore (Christmas rose)
First buds opening in sheltered spots.
Shady borders.
Holly & ivy berries (peak)
The classic Christmas pairing — feeding overwintering thrushes.
Hedges and old walls.
Want a garden that flowers all year?
We design and maintain gardens with the Fife rhythm in mind — so something is always coming into colour.
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