The Thing I’ll Miss the Most About the UK is Spring Flowers

The bittersweet feeling of leaving a place of rebirth

Two years ago, I left Canada and moved to England. I knew it would be an incredible experience. But I didn’t expect how thoroughly I would fall in love with this island. Especially in the spring.

Before moving here, I would never have said that spring was my favourite season. I think that’s because I had never experienced the true joys of spring.

In Canada, spring is a rapid transition between the intense cold of winter and the heat of summer punctuated by random snow or ice storms. The main features of spring in Canada are slush, partially melted snow, and some rain, which, combined with the slush, often creates huge puddles that make cities difficult to navigate. Overall, not a very fun season.

In other countries I’ve lived in, including Qatar, India, and Hong Kong, the weather is mild year-long and spring just means slightly warmer days leading to very hot days. So never anything to rejoice about.

But in the UK, spring is a magical season. The days rapidly elongate. The sunshine returns. The temperatures slowly increase. And, while there is rain, rain brings flowers. And they are worth every drop.

Spring flowers are magical everywhere. They are vibrant and bold. They are a much-needed burst of colour after months of greys and browns. Their incredible diversity is hard to believe.

The first signs of spring are the snowdrops, quickly followed by the daffodils, then the tulips and hyacinths. The trees blossom. It’s magical.

In the UK, landscapes become dominated by daffodils. Everywhere, their burst of yellow, white, and orange brighten the green of the grass. You see them in parks, on the side of the road, along rivers, surrounding roundabouts, in every garden. I have never in my life seen this amount of wildflowers. This year, even though I was prepared for it, my mind was once again blown.

This spring will be my last in the UK as I prepare to move back to Canada this summer.

I will miss this country. I will miss my home and the friends I made here. I will miss the incredible restaurants I have discovered near me. I will miss the coast. I will miss the history-charged cities. I will miss walks in the countryside. I will miss how dog-friendly the UK is. I will miss how easy it is to travel around this island and the incredible places I have had the chance to visit.

I might even miss the weather.

But, most of all, I will miss the spring flowers. I will miss going on walks to spot the daffodils. I will miss carefully monitoring their growth in early spring, preparing myself for the spectacle of their bloom. I will miss filling my home with fresh flowers.

Living here was a transformational experience for me. And nothing symbolizes that more than spring and the flowers it brings.

I am so thankful for my experiences here. I am excited for what lies ahead. And I will look for daffodils, wherever I live.

As my departure date nears, I am attempting to narrow my list of things to see before I leave. This story by Belcairn is making that very hard.

I’ve also enjoyed this story by Claire Elizabeth Levesque, which seems to have had a very similar experience as me with British spring flowers.