Thanks to cold weather: Vibrant spring bloom expected

Early signs suggest this year's spring bloom will be vibrant and longer lasting thanks to the chilly weather so far.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) have asked gardeners to study buds on trees across the country and say there are indications of an extended bloom season approaching.

A particularly cold February has halted early flowering of buds, of which there are greater numbers of after being boosted by the additional heat and daylight hours seen towards the end of 2022.

Trees require some degree of cold, known as chill hours, over winter to ensure a plentiful spring.

Some species require over 1,000 chill hours for optimal fruit production. These were affected by conditions seen in 2022.

Trees with deep roots were able to withstand the heatwave and drought of last year and instead could benefit from the additional nutrients.

Despite this, younger trees with shallower roots were damaged while a number of fruit tree varieties missed their harvest because of a mild winter and a lack of chill hours.

Of particular note this spring are cherry blossoms. The RHS say that they will be particularly abundant from April.

UK and Irish gardens saw a rush of colour early this year after a cold December provided chilling hours before above-average temperatures in January provoked a widespread bloom of snowdrops, witch hazels, and hellebores among other flowers.