Cold snap delays spring

Figures from the Met office suggest we are heading for a late spring as the winter continues with below average figures, research by Country Life suggests. The mean temperature for this winter has been 2.8ºc, a whole degree lower than the long-term average, and 2 degrees lower than the winter of 2007/2008. According to the Met office spring technically arrives every year on March 1, but experts suggest that this year the cold spell could delay proceedings by quite some time.

However, gardeners from The Chelsea Physic Garden are reassuring, advising that a cold winter is good news for the garden. Frosts kill off bugs and unwanted plants while the more seasonal varieties such as the snowdrops will benefit from the weather. They forecast that plants will come out as the weather warms the earth naturally, which may also suggest a later appearance of the spring flowers than last year.

The cold snap is set to continue but the hardy seasonal flowers will bloom regardless while snowdrops are already appearing throughout the countryside.

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