What lovely weather we are having! Warm days and sunshine – perfect gardening weather. Be cautious with your tender plants though as the nights are still cold. Plants see the world differently from us. We rejoice in the warm days; they shudder at the cold nights. In fact a plant sets its growth programme for the day at dawn- the coldest time of the night. Young plants given protection at night for a few weeks more will fare much better than those planted out now and exposed to the cold. The latest frost we can remember at the nursery was 16th May…. If you do get caught out, horticultural fleece can save the day. In the greenhouse, a layer of newspaper will do wonders.
It is still far too early for tender bedding (early April), but some of the half-hardy annuals can go out now…
Antirrhinum, Centaurea (Cornflower), Cosmos, Sweet William and of course Pansies and Violas are fully hardy.