. . . red, Dilly-Dilly.

Violets are blue.

Life’s been so sweet, Dilly-Dilly,

Since I dumped you.

Okay. So that’s not very nice, but there you have it.

I think sometimes the best Valentines just might be the ones you grew for yourself.

What we have here is a twig of flowering quince I brought in to force, a sprig of Daphne, and early-blooming Sasanqua Camellia.

When I first moved here, someone told me to plant a Daphne by my doorstep. It blooms early in the new year and smells so good, especially on a rainy day.

The worst, are those ubiquitous long-stemmed red roses from the shop whose heads droop over and never open and have no perfume, and cost a fortune. Dilly-Dilly.