At this time of year, most of us are eager for winter to relinquish its hold over our lives and for spring to arrive and this year is no exception to that rule- in fact even more so in 2021, with the constraints of lockdown bearing down upon us for many months. However, no matter how dismal things may sometimes feel, records suggest that recent springs are occurring about 11 days earlier than they did a century ago, even though the promise of increasingly warm and bright days ahead seems a way off following the recent cold snap and snow we have just experienced.
What’s more, with lockdown restrictions easing in the current months we can all look forward to family gatherings, garden parties and some sense of normality over the latter part of the year!
Meteorologists hail the beginning of spring on the 1st March but in recent years we have had snow as late as March and April, and whilst the local kids might have welcomed the opportunity for a ‘snow day’, the keen gardeners amongst us might not have been quite so pleased, since drifted snow can crush delicate new plants, and the weight can even damage larger conifers or even garden structures like fences, sheds and greenhouses. This said, according to Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) chief horticultural adviser Guy Barter, a blanket of snow later in the year is not always a bad thing, flowering bulbs can be delayed slightly, prolonging the flowering period and leading to a more impressive show as they all bloom together. You may even be treated to seeing hardy spring flowers like primulas and anemones flowering alongside your hellebores and winter pansies as the late winter blooms are prolonged.
So, you have provided a bit of extra food for the winged garden visitors and mother nature seems to have the borders sussed giving you an even more colourful garden this spring – but where does this leave the hardscape elements of the garden? Well if your fence was groaning under the weight of drifted snow and struggling to stand against the accompanying icy winds then you could consider an alternative that is tougher than traditional wooden fencing – such as ColourFence.
This type of steel fencing needs very little aftercare and can stand up to 130mph gusts leaving you more time to knock the snow off the roof of the greenhouse! Oh and it makes for a very attractive decorative feature in your garden too – perfect for all those post lockdown get togethers, and BBQs!Did you know too, that ‘Astronomical Spring’ is due a little later in March so maybe we can hope for some more sunshine then.Keep a look out for bumblebees and butterflies waking from their winter slumber, frog spawn in ponds and garden birds collecting nesting materials, all of which hail sunnier days to come! And if you’re not looking to replace a fence, but you’re looking for a beautiful new gate, or garden rail to add even more beauty to your Spring garden, we do those too, as well as garden sheds that also won’t groan under the weight of a thousand April showers, some late snow and a gust or few of wind!