Sicilian Spring Flowers 🌼🌸🌺

"The lemon groves and the orange gardens were entirely perfect" Oscar Wilde

It is very hard to choose which is my favourite season in Sicily.

The great Irish poet Oscar Wilde loved Spring in Sicily.

At the moment we divide our time between London and Giardini Naxos and twice a year we drive with our dog Duke to our Sicilian home in Spring and Autumn and fly in for short breaks in Summer and Winter. Sicilian summers are not suitable for our dogs and their little English paws and winter is very quiet and most places are closed for the season, although it is a great time to have our town to ourselves. So we get the best of both worlds, Sicilian Spring and Autumn in Sicily and an English Summer and a traditional English Christmas in UK.

With temperature in mind the best time of year to visit Sicily is in April, May, June, September, October and November. Every season is beautiful even winter when you can ski on Mount Etna. Summer is wonderful but it is very hot in July and August and the beaches are very over crowded and raucous.

I love Spring in Sicily as the island awakens from winter and comes back to life. In Ancient Greek mythology the Legend of the Abduction of Persephone by Hades teaches us how the seasons come and go. Each time at her daughter Persephone’s departure back to the underworld Demeter's sadness would cause the trees to shed their leaves and a dull time would cover the world. After six months Persephone would emerge again from Hades domain and the world would bloom and be sunny once more. And so this is how the seasons came about, the Autumn and Winter of Demeter's grieving and the Spring and Summer of the joy at her daughter’s return. Lake Pergusa is located in the province of Enna in Sicily and was supposedly the site of Hades abduction of Persephone. According to the myth the lake was used as the portal for which Persephone used to enter the underworld for Autumn and Winter and emerge back to the world for Spring and Summer.

For me my Spring vibes start as we drive from London through France in April down to the Port of Genova. In Spring the fields along the motorways of Northern France are carpeted with bright yellow Dijon mustard flowers which will soon be harvested to make jars of mustard and of course we can never resist buying a jar on our overnight stay in this charming medieval French town.

After our twenty hour voyage at sea from Genova to Palermo when we finally arrive home in our Sicilian house after three days of travelling our lovely English friend Norma, who lives down the road from us and has a set of keys, always leaves a new flowering plant on our kitchen table to welcome us back.

It is the perfect welcome home gift …

Yellow Crown Daisies

One of the most notable things when we arrive to spend Spring in Sicily is the bright yellow wild flowers, thousands upon thousands of them, that carpet the fields, the road sides, the olive groves and citrus orchards and of course our volcano Mount Etna. These are yellow crown daises known in Sicily as Glebionis Cotonaria. I absolutely love them and they are a true sign that we are back home in Sicily for Spring.

Wisteria

It is also the time for ‘wisteria hysteria'. Wisteria climb by winding their way around any available support like fences and buildings. The flowers have drooping racemes that vary in length. The flowers come in a variety of colours including lilac, pink and white but the most eye popping colour is purple. The flowers are very fragrant and noted for their sweet and musky scents which are potent in the Sicilian spring sunshine.

Poppies

Another species of flower seen growing wildly in abundance in the countryside is the poppy. The Allied Invasion of Sicily was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island in July 1943 and took control of Sicily from the Axis powers (Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It began with a large amphibious (by sea) and airborne operation, followed by a six week land campaign. The 38 day battle for Sicily was one of the most dramatic of the entire Second World War and the island acted as a strategic stepping stone to Hitler's fortress Europe. In the UK the poppy is worn to remember those who died in service during war to symbolise hope for a peaceful future. Across the Sicilian countryside in springtime you will see bright red poppies intermingled with Sicilian wild flowers bursting through dry stone wall cracks and in stony ground as if in a nod to those souls who lost their lives in battle on the island.

Etna Broom

The Genista Aetnensis known as the Mount Etna Broom is a large shrub that boasts bright yellow flowers and it is native to Sicily. You will see this bush in bloom all over the volcano and also across the countryside. The Etna broom loves stony soil hence how it can grow on volcanic rock and ancient lava flows even on the higher levels of the volcano. As it ages the shrub can turn into a shapely small tree and can grow up to 8 metres high. The yellow flowers last from spring and all through summer and has a similar scent to jasmine.

Wildflowers and Weeds

Aside from all these beautiful flowers there are many other beautiful wildflowers with the most intense colours and in Sicily even the weeds produce stunning blooms.

Our dog Duke loves to walk up the road from the front of our house which leads up a hill into the countryside where he loves to look for lizards. Along here are we spoilt with an abundance of bright colourful wildflowers and I always pick some to pop into vases at home in our Sicilian house and I always pop a couple of yellow daises in a small vial to put next to a photo of our beloved dog Daisy who gained her angel wings in Sicily in 2023.

Cacti and Geranium's

On our Spring trips our cacti on our roof terrace have budding flowers waiting to burst open and our geraniums are in full bloom. Some of my cacti produce stunning flowers with petals like the finest tissue paper that only last one day. A few years ago my English friend Teresa, after some of my cacti did not survive a particularly scorching summer, potted some cuttings from a coppertone sedum variety of succulent that she nurtures on her balcony and this year this succulent presented me with the most beautiful flowers that looked just like a white wedding bouquet with tiny pearls. This succulent is so easy to propagate and I have added my own cuttings from Teresa’s original one to my pots on our roof terrace.

When Etna erupts sometimes the lapelli can reach thousands of metres, even miles, and depending on the wind direction it can travel in different directions across Sicily. Lapelli are small particles of volcanic glass that fall out of the air during a volcanic eruption. Lapelli is Latin for "little stones". Sometimes the Lapelli reaches Giardini Naxos and falls onto our roof terrace and balcony making it resemble an ash tray and I use the ash that we sweep up to plant any new cacti or geraniums and top up my existing pots and I always keep a big bucket of the ash for future top ups. The ash contains dozens of minerals including magnesium, calcium, sodium, sulphur, copper, iron and zinc, all important to plant growth and I believe that this is why my cacti and geraniums produce such lush flowers.

Lemon Blossom

In late Winter and into early Spring lemon trees bloom and the air is fragrant with Fiori di Limone which then turn into big juicy lemons. The Sicilian climate and fertile volcanic earth creates a long growing season and the gathering of lemons takes place over three periods. First is the autumn harvest or Primo Fiore following the cultivation of the Bianchetti in Spring and the Verdelli between in June and July.

Olive Blossom

One of the most fascinating flowers for me is Olive Blossom. Olive blossoms are small, fragrant and creamy white and grow in loose clusters. The flowers are a sign that olives will develop over the summertime and ripen into the fruit we know well that will be harvested in autumn and be turned into Sicily's liquid gold, olive oil. The olive blossom amazes me because before I lived in Sicily I had never thought an olive tree could produce such stunning blossom.

Prickly Pear Flowers

Prickly pears (Fica D'India) have been in Sicily since the 15th century when they were introduced by the Spanish, legend says that they buried the fleshy succulent leaves, known as pads, all over the island for food subsistence which is why you see this cacti in such abundance. There are two seasons for the prickly pear and the fruit always starts with a beautiful delicate bright yellow flower each Spring.

Water Lillies

For Duke’s second birthday we took him to Gole Alcantara, which he loves to explore, and there we always encounter in Spring on the parks botanical trail many plants in bloom and this year we discovered some lovely pink water lilles.

Caper Flowers

Caper plants can be seen all over the island bursting out of stone walls and from cracks in rocky outcrops. The caper buds are a firm staple ingredient in Sicilian dishes such as caponata. I love to add them to a Tuna Ragù pasta sauce. Whether wild or cultivated the hard edible buds have to be hand picked just as they reach the right size which can be hard work as the plant flowers continuously throughout summer. The heart of a caper flower looks like a violet firework and is just stunning.

Passionfruit Flowers

Another explosive looking flower is from the passionfruit plant. After this climbing plant flower fades away a bright orange fruit will reveal itself for summer. Passionfruit makes a delightful ingredient for granite Sicily's famous icy treat that we enjoy for breakfast with a warm brioche.

Orange Blossom Honey

Zafferana Etnea is a pretty town on the slopes of Mount Etna and is well known for its honey (miele) which is made from the Sicilian black bee (Nero d'Ape). These bees are very proactive even in high temperatures up to 40 degrees when other species of bee stop producing. Italians refer to honey as Millefiori (thousands of flowers). Most of the honey is made from orange blossom nectar, but you will also find honey made from blossoms such as herbs, eucalyptus and wild flowers but orange blossom honey is my particular favourite. Orange blossom is called Fiori di Arancio which has a wonderful delicate scent. There are around 67,000 hectares of orange groves in Sicily which is a beautiful sight to see. Sicilian blood oranges grow from January through to May.

The Stone Garden of Europe

Noto is a most beautiful Baroque city in Sicily’s south east corner and has been a UNESCO site since 2005, its nickname is “The Stone Garden of Europe” because the town fascinates visitors with its Baroque architecture, noble palaces and majestic churches. In the third week of May the town comes alive during its annual Infiorata flower festival. Locals and tourists in their hundreds head to Noto to see spectacular designs of petals that cover the roads, in particular Via Corrado Nicolaci. The flower festival of Noto is an amazing colourful sight to behold.

Almond Blossom

Beautiful almond trees adorn the Sicilian countryside and in late February and early March these trees come into blossom with delicate pinkish white flowers and the scent is overwhelming. The almond blossoming is celebrated at this time in one of Sicily's most famous festivals signifying that Spring is awakening on the island. This festival is held in Agrigento a town in Southern Sicily well known for the famed Valley of the Temples which sets the scene for the festivities.

The Taormina Spring Festival

The Taormina Spring Festival is when Taormina dresses up in colours for the arrival of Spring with a procession of traditional hand painted Sicilian carts adorned with flowers and performances by folk groups dressed in traditional costumes. Meanwhile the restaurants, bars, boutiques and shops take advantage and adorn themselves with garlands of flowers around their doorways on Corso Umberto.

Italian Mothers Day

Feste della Mamma, the Italian Mothers Day, is always celebrated on the second Sunday in May and so flower shops across the island are brimming with bunches of flowers, bouquets and flowering plants.

Mimosa

On the 8th March, Italy celebrates Feste della Donna (International Women’s Day) and it is customary to give sprigs of mimosa to women as a gesture of appreciation. This tradition started in 1946 when Italian feminists chose the mimosa flower to represent strength, sensibility and sensitivity.

Early Summer Blooms

As Spring in Sicily starts become warmer and heads towards Summer the pretty wildflowers fade away and give way to bright summer flowers like bougainvillea and oleander showing off colours of bright pink, pale pink, purple, peach and white. These bushes adorn the island everywhere, outside houses and buildings, in gardens, in the streets, even on the central reservations of the motorways and also on beaches. Before Daisy crossed rainbow bridge every morning I used to pick a bright pink bougainvillea flower, near the beach she loved, to tuck into her collar, after she gained her angel wings her charity in London called us to say that they needed help to foster a little black puppy until he found his forever home. As we sat outside the kennels of All Dog’s Matter in Essex waiting to meet him a single pink bougainvillea flower came from nowhere and landed on our car windscreen, it was a sign from Daisy that she wanted us to adopt Duke. So this blossom has a very special meaning for us.

Sweet Jasmine and Summer Berries

At the end of Spring the fragrance of sweet white jasmine flowers also starts to fill the air. Brambles start to bloom pinkish flowers that will turn into big luxurious blackberries and mulberry trees start to become laden with plump black or white mulberries which also create a wonderful ingredient for granite.

Edible Spring Flowers

In late Spring into Summer there is a flower that is an edible delicacy in Sicily that you can buy in the street markets. Zucchini blossoms, also known as Fiori di Zucca, are the edible flowers of the green squash we know as the courgette. The blossoms from this vegetable have been a staple in Sicilian cuisine for centuries. Sicilians love Fritelle di Fiori di Zucca (fried zucchini fritters), the courgette flowers are simply dusted with parmesan cheese, dipped in flour and then deep fried.

In Spring and Summer you may even find your dessert adorned with edible flowers like this delightful Strawberry Panna Cotta ...

On that delicious note here are some of my favourite places near our Sicilian house where I love to see Sicilian spring flowers in bloom;

🌼 Gole Alcantara

🌼 Mount Etna

🌼 Parco Trevelyan, Public Gardens Taormina

🌼 Casa Cuseni Taormina (By Appointment)

🌼 Isola Bella, Taormina Mare

🌼 Archaeological Park, Giardini Naxos

🌼 Giardini Victoria, Trapitello (By Appointment)

🌼 Radicepura Botanical Park & Gardens, Giarre

🌼 Giardini Bellini, Catania

Further afield:

🌼 Gli Aromi Mediterrean Herb Farm, Scicli

🌼 Orto Botanico di Palermo, Palermo

🌼 Giardini della Kolymbethra, Agrigento

Now let me flood your day with photos of some beautiful Sicilian Spring flowers …..

How many can you identify ?????

Please note: If you suffer from seasonal allergies or hayfever do not forget to pack your hay fever relief medications with you when travelling to Sicily, at this time of year grass and weeds are being cut back and with light spring breezes the pollen count can sometimes be very high, however if you are in need of hay fever relief you can visit a local parafarmacia who can help you relieve your symptoms