Is the cold spring killing flowers?
This past winter was one of the coldest winters are record and it seemed to be never ending. Finally after a few days of weak sunshine coming through it appears the cold snap has finally been put behind us. However what does the extra-long cold snap mean for flowers in the United Kingdom?
The chill this winter, which has resulted in the coldest April since 1917, means the flowers, trees and plants we should be seeing at this time of year have yet to appear. When one flower or plant doesn’t appear it could have a knock on effect on the whole eco-system but what is the full effect going to mean for our wildlife?
The Royal Horticultural Society’s chief horticultural adviser Guy Barter predicts that it will not have a big effect and when the flowering season begins it showed be a prolonged of bloom. Whilst the gardens of the UK are waiting for the spring and summer flowers to appear the coldness has let flowers such as daffodils and tulips keep going longer into the calendar year than normal.
The RHS in Devon say that the late winter flower would normally have gone by now but the cold weather has kept the flowers out and looking in fantastic form.
The hard and tough flowers of spring are starting to appear though and it is creating a bizarre scene in some gardens with the winter and spring flowers standing side by side.
The cold start to the year will mean flowers and fruit later in the year will ripen later than usual, whether this is a good or bad thing we just have to wait and see.