The late, late show

Changing seasons are affecting plants and birds, says Val

- Val Bourne

WE don't seem to get normal seasons anymore, as recent springs have shown. It's either too hot, W too dry or too wet. On balance, I prefer the weather to be too wet, rather than dry and hot, because my high-altitude garden doesn't have much of a water table. My soil is friable, but there's no clay content so it doesn't hold water or nutrients very well. That slows down growth and makes for a lot of work, because I have to water in spring if it's dry. I prefer to use watering cans, not a hose, because my soil takes a long time to warm up as it is.

This year everyone had a late spring, not just me, and it was unseasonably cold. The first swallow didn't fly over my garden until 29 April - a week later than usual. The blackthorn, or sloe, was still in flower in the first week of May and countryfolk know that the weather never warms up until the blackthorn's over. I found myself wondering whether I needed gloves and a scarf on a day out in early May, because it was so cold in the morning. It turned out that I did!