Weather expert Dave King gives gardening tips for an icy spring
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Spring is a time in the garden where gardeners start to sow seeds including flowers and vegetables ready for the summer months. However, one meteorological expert, also known as Dave The Weatherman, warned gardeners to wait until later in the year before doing so due to predicted cold temperatures, which will cause the plants to die.
Dave explained: “From April 11 to April 14, you go along the lanes and it’s called the blackthorn winter and everywhere has got white blossom.”
Blackthorn winter is a spell of cold weather in early spring when the temperatures should be warmer.
It’s an old phrase to describe colder spring air, originating in rural England where the white blackthorn blossoms bloom in the hedgerows and mimic springtime snow or frosts in adjoining fields.
The weather guru continued: “This gives us colder evenings, colder nights, maybe a light frost but reasonable days.
“We go forward to May 11 to May 14, they’re called ice maidens.
“At 3am in the morning, the temperature will be four degrees and at 4am it will be minus four.
“Some severe frost will drop out of the sky and kill all the tender plants and all the blossoms.
“So gardeners, do not put any plants out before May 20.”
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Tender plants include fuchsias, pelargoniums, penstemons and salvias.
Other popular tender plants include dahlias, begonias and bacon.
These varieties will be instantly killed in even the slightest of frost, so May is the perfect time to get planting.
According to BBC’s Gardeners’ World Magazine, the risk of frost has passed in most regions of the UK by May.
This means many vegetable, herb and flower seeds can be directly sown outdoors.
They said: “Earlier sowings can now be planted out after a period of acclimatisation to outside conditions.
“Plenty of seeds can be sown indoors too, including more tender crops like cucumber and melon.
“Sowing indoors will protect young plants from slugs and snails, by planting them outside when they’re large enough to handle you’ll give them a head start on predators.”
Vegetables to be sown in May include beetroot, sweetcorn, cucumber, carrots and rocket.
However, with April just around the corner, GardeningExpress.co.uk have shared top jobs to do that month.
Chris Bonnett from the company said: “The garden really starts to come to life in April with spring blooms adding colour and interest.
“It’s also a month for some hard work to get the garden prepped and ready for the warmer weather.”
Gardeners are recommended to protect their tender plants.
The experts said: “There can be the odd late frost in April, so remember to protect tender plants.
“This may mean wrapping them up in their winter fleece and moving potted plants to sunnier spots in the garden.”
Gardeners can also plant perennials now including lavender as the ground will be moist enough for them to flourish.
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