By summer we might just see spring flowers

DANCING daffodils, twittering birds and the bursting into colour of early bulbs?

Dream on. Such has been the severity – and length – of the harsh Arctic winter that the trend towards ever earlier springtime has been rammed into reverse. Newspapers have been free of the ferocious bombardment from readers reporting the first daff in January and the Hogmanay humming of bees. Like the cursed Edinburgh trams, spring has been chronically delayed. Perhaps frustrated gardeners should now slap hefty fines on Dobbies and B&Q for those non-appearing spring flowers and stunted bulbs.

Across large parts of Scotland, front lawns are a deathly shade of pale, the grass having been starved of sunlight for weeks on end. And the ground underneath the topsoil is still gripped by frost. However, daffodil spears can clearly be seen, and roses are starting to show buds.

It seems a dismal prospect for gardeners with Easter a fortnight away. But two compensations are in store. First, the grass won't need cutting for a month or so. And second, experts say we can expect a "technicolour Hollywood spectacular" of flowers during May and June, when the delayed spring flowers bloom alongside first roses and jasmine. But beware this talk of a post-winter cacophony of colour: nothing is more certain to bring on the rain in buckets.