Signs of Spring in the Garden

Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer – Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

Generally regarded as encompassing the three months from 1st March until 31st May, spring can be a funny season, can’t it? This year, the first day of spring arrived in the form of ‘The Beast from the East’, followed by ‘Storm Emma’, covering most of the country in snow and battering us with high winds. Yet, within a matter of days, this winter-like weather had been replaced by beautiful sunshine and rising temperatures.

In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours – Mark Twain

Should there indeed be further inclement weather to come, fear not, for it is sure to quickly disappear. After all, spring is here, and where better place to spend it than in the garden. So, sit back, savour this most joyous of seasons and consider some of the wonderful signs of spring unravelling the other side of your back door.

Spring flowers

daffodilsa hand reaching for purple rhododendrons

Beautiful, milky-white snowdrops have long since arrived by the time we begin to welcome an abundance of flowers to our gardens. Hosts of radiant, yellow daffodils; splashes of elegant, dazzling camellias; carpets of magical bluebells; and wholesome, show-stealing tulips are just some of the aesthetic delights we can look forward to at this time of year. To maximise the variety of flowers suitable for your garden, why not purchase one of Buy Fencing Direct’s superb range of planters?

Birds

a bird in a bird feedera blackbird on a fence

Heralding the start of spring and reaching its peak at the beginning of May, can there be a more pleasing sound than the Dawn Chorus? As winter birds depart, they are replaced by our summer arrivals. Wheatears and sand martins in March; swifts and swallows in April; and quails and flycatchers in May are just some of the melodic and beautiful visitors that we welcome to our shores. Birds only spend a few days building nests, so keep your eyes peeled during late March and early April for signs of activity. If you’d like to attract even more birds to your garden, click here to view our superb range of bird tables.

Bees

Bees collecting lavender pollena bee on a sunflower

The sheer number and variety of flowers we see in spring proves irresistible for bees. The first to appear is the queen, coming out of hibernation to feed on nectar for energy. She will then find a suitable nesting site before collecting pollen. Frequent sites for nests include sheds, bird boxes and holes in the ground. The end of spring is the time we begin to see the first of the queen’s offspring emerge.

Butterflies

a red admiral butterfly on a flowera cabbage white butterfly on a flower

Milder temperatures and blossoming flowers also herald the return of butterflies to our gardens. Those who have overwintered, in various forms, in the UK are joined by other species who migrate here for summer. Mourning cloaks and cabbage whites are two of the first species that you are likely to see in your garden.

Longer days and warmer weather

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The days get noticeably longer as spring dawns and, of course, the last Sunday in March is when our clocks go forward one hour. This is the perfect time of year to enjoy some new garden furniture, or even a new garden shed, so why not browse through Buy Fencing Direct’s superb range? Lighter evenings are welcomed by most, particularly those of us who have become accustomed to both arriving at work and returning home in the dark. The temperature starts to become noticeably warmer too, although those people who see the first day of spring as the time to put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt should exercise a degree of caution:

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade – Charles Dickens (Great Expectations)

Other treats

a frog and a butterflyfrogspawn

Perhaps more common on a woodland walk than in a Great British garden, the lush green leaves of wild garlic emerge in March and are followed by its starshaped flowers a month later. Did nature ever produce a finer smell or more appetising taste?

Not too many householders are fortunate enough to enjoy a pond in their garden, either, but those that do will get to appreciate the sight of frogs hopping around and the unmistakable sight of their jelly-like spawn on the water.

Spring truly is a wonderful time and one where we can’t help but turn our attentions to the beauties of nature, which can, of course, be freely appreciated right outside our doors. If you want to maximise your time spent enjoying the natural world over the coming months, make Buy Fencing Direct your first port of call for all of your garden requirements. But let us give the final words to the late, great Ruth Stout, American author and garden lover:

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.