Dare we start to dream of summer?

So it transpires that last month was both one of the coldest and driest Aprils on record. This comes as no surprise to us gardeners, who sighed at yet another covering of frost most mornings and at pots that were crying out for a drink! It was a remarkable month, and so different from last year’s early heatwave. At least May has brought with it some rain, albeit in torrential fashion accompanied by high winds – it didn’t feel much warmer out there to be honest! But maybe now we’re heading properly towards summer; in this strange year it’s hard to predict when the last frost may come but we are very close to being able to plant everything out. This will be something of a relief in my house, where the windowsills now resemble a small jungle! But we can look ahead with some real positivity now and, as well as planting out seedlings, we can still sow plenty of annual seeds in our borders (see page 33). I mixed up a few packets of seeds of corn marigold, poppies, nasturtiums and a wildflower mix and scattered them across various parts of my plot – though the birds seemed quite interested so may have gone behind me and pecked them up! I figure that some will make it, however, and I like the idea of the random effect it will create. I’d love a wisteria so our feature on page 18 is a must-read. We know they are a favourite plant of GN readers, many of whom share the same dream as me – do take a look and give it a go. You’ll also find some great ideas to brighten up shady patios in our feature on page 24 – have a great gardening week!