Start off hardy annuals
Many hardy annuals, such as larkspur, cosmos, clarkia and nigella, can be grown in the garden to use as cut flowers through the summer. The seed can be sown directly into the soil in April, or you can give the plants a head start and start them off now in cell trays in a greenhouse or conservatory, where you can maintain frost-free conditions. Fill the cell trays with multi-purpose compost and sow a seed or two per cell, cover over and keep moist.
Willow grown for its twisted stems or catkins can be pruned now. Cut back some of the older wood to encourage new shoots to grow, which can be cut next winter as and when needed.
Keep an eye on tulip shoots as they push through the soil. If they start to be nibbled, slugs or snails are usually the culprits, in which case you’ll need to control them.