Brilliant white flowers are beginning to sparkle in the hedges. They are the clearest sign yet of the early spring this year, and they are the blossoms of a shrub called cherry plum. Last year they were not out until the beginning of March. The bright green leaves are also coming out, alongside the flowers.
This is one way in which cherry plum can be distinguished from blackthorn in the hedges. Blackthorn flowers open long before there is any sign of green on the dark twigs (and there is no sign of them yet). Blackthorn is also spiny, while cherry plum is not.
There is a variety that was cultivated in the 19th century for the Shah of Persia, with flowers that are pink in the bud, and leaves that are a rich red at first, but turn a duller purple. The plums that ripen in early autumn are sweet and edible, and can be red or purple. Cherry plum is thought to derive from a Balkan and Asian species with yellow fruit.