Dealing with late frosts

Don’t pack away garden thermals just yet

- Ruth Hayes

THE Easter weekend showed us how fickle the UK’s weather can be. One day we were gardening in shorts and getting excited about summer plantings, the next we were back in woolly layers watching snow floating down outside.

May can be just as bad, especially further north where late frosts can be commonplace on the clear nights. So keep a weather eye on the daily forecast and don’t pack away your garden insulation just yet!

Hard frosts damage new growth and can be devastating to anything that isn’t totally hardy that has already been planted out without being adequately hardened off.

Cloches are excellent for protecting single tender plants in borders, such as evergreen agapanthus and penstemons that have already had their old growth cut back. You can also insulate their roots with an extra layer of straw, manure or bark chippings which will also help feed the soil too.

Make sure this isn’t applied to dry or already frosted soil as it will keep off any rainfall and trap the cold against the soil.