Amelanchier blossom contrasts nicely with the purple-tinted new foliage

 Brunnera macrophylla flowers well in partial shade

 Chaenomeles x superba lights up a dark corner

 The violets in the garden are very variable..........

 .......... I suspect there's a lot of hybridisation going on

 Epimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum' flowers well in the partial shade of trees. Cutting back last year's old foliage at the end of winter allows the flowers to show at their best against new leaves, which develop a purple hue when they're fully expanded.

 A new Korean fir cone emerging from a bud, just as last year's cones begin to disintegrate.

 Periwinkle can be invasive if it's not kept in check

Blossom is produced on the end of the weeping twigs of willow-leaves pear Pyrus salicifolia 'pendula'. The fruits are tiny and hard but bees benefit from the flowers in spring.