Weather warning for gardeners.

[ohyouBadBadkitten]

Don't get fooled by the lovely sunny weather and put out all your bedding plants and what not. Just looked at the forecast for the week after next (Easter hols) and at the moment it is showing a step change to much colder weather ( with some welcome rain but the small possibility of some rather unwelcome snow)

Not that unusual lunatic you are right. I think this preceding glorious weather will have lulled people into a false sense of summer is coming. Spring is often a season of wild swings.

Very nice Gloria. I heard this week that the topsy turvey weather has meant that in Scotland daffs are out a week early and southern England daffs are a week late. Normally they are two weeks apart. This has meant that the seasonal pickers have been picking in the south of England, whilst daffs in Scotland are going unpicked.

My mum was saying in the early 70's there was snow on my birthday (5th May).....but only the once!

That is late katymac.
Anyone remember a few years ago when we had snow at Easter. We went camping in it on the isle of wight. Bloody cold.

ooooooooooooh, no. I was so hoping that it would stay nice after next weekend cause DH is coming over for a week.

Are there any long term weather forecasts around yet for Scotland, OYBBK?

It was 20.5°C today. IN SCOTLAND. IN MARCH.

I am claiming benefit for the good weather, btw cause I bought an open topped car.

"Ne'er cast a clout 'till May is out."

Heard recently that this could be the month of May - or it could be flowers on the May tree, which may of course appear earlier than May :)

Wouldn't surprise me if the weather turns around and we get snow - although it is so tempting to put bedding plants in now isn't it!

hmmm this is interesting... I don't do 'summer bedding" but I did put 25 acidanthera bulbs in 2 weeks ago and only then noticed the pack says April at the earliest. Oops.

I have lots of plastic sheeting covering my seed beds and cloches for pots or delicate things (v few). I wonder if it will be cold enough overnight that my seed trays on the shed windowsill will suffer.

We have two dwarf fruit trees in pots which are blossoming but I have fleece bags over them on canes.

mostly prepared here... I think!!!

No no no! I spent the whole weekend sorting out my garden. Not green fingered in the slightest but thought I'd have a stab at it. Bugger!

Is there anything I can do to protect my plants?

The pear blossom is literally about to burst forth. I will have to wrap it in an old blanket I have in the shed. Same goes for the fig tree. I kept it wrapped all winter, it survived without it shoots getting burnt so it woudl be a shame to lose it in a late frost.

Petrean, I've used sheets to cover plants in an emergency. Also wouldn't water plants if it's going to go below zero that night.

Mmelindor Fraid it looks cold and then cold and wet. Sorry.

oh dear.

Good to know though, cause my mum was intending to get out in the garden this week. I will inform her that MN says to wait with bedding plant.

Will certainly see a good for that.

Haar gone, sun and 18C here today.

Hi my lovely :)

I've made the most of the weather this weekend as I feared it might just be a teaser!!

Might hold off getting the winter tyres changed.

What's it looking like for this week?

how quickly the models change!!

A glorious week for most unless you get caught in coastal fog. (or nw scotland where cloud may be a bit of a blight)

next weekend - some sharp frosts, watch out. Mmelindor, looking a lot less wet for your area.

Week after next. Gone is the wetness for the majority of England and Wales, with northern England and Scotland taking the brunt of the rain (maybe a little on tuesday for all). High pressure settles over us (once again) Unsure if it will be a cloudy high, or a glorious high.

Rain for England (as a whole) postponed until the Easter weekend. I have to say, that GFS has been doing this consistently through the winter - showing rather unsettled weather, then as we approach it, postponing the unsettlement.

(hi chipping :) )

We have two sayings, the usual "Ne'er cast a clout 'til May be out", and "Beware the Blackthorn Winter". Both of them mean the same thing, the May refers to the white Hawthorn blossom. The May/Hawthorn doesn't flower until the Blackthorn/Sloe has finished flowering, once this happens the risk of frost is over. The Blackthorn is absolutely magnificent this year, covered with blossom.

It's not going to kill my newly planted lavender is it?

I've never heard of "Beware the Blackthorn Winter" I love the imagery!
soupdragon, I think it should be fine, lavender is pretty hardy. If you are worried then dont water it over the weekend when the nights look due to be at their coldest and cover it in fleece or a sheet at night.

Is there anywhere I can check when it snowed in Liverpool in the 1970's?

Tricky Katymac.
Closest met office official station is Ringway if you scroll down you can see both minimum temps for the month and the amount of precipitation but it doesnt tell you precip type.

Here is one for Bidston with lots of data, but again not precip type.

I am so not a gardener :o I thought they'd be OK. The other things I have yet to plant have been languishing in pots on the patio through sun rain and snow so they'll all be fine.

Thanks

Well I did up until I was about 14 & no freezing temps in May.....my mum hey?

Lol, memories can be funny. Perhaps it hailed and she got muddled? Though this link mentions widespread snow showers in May in 1979 so it could be possible and there was even a June snowfall in 1979 in southern England.
Fascinating stuff!

It's odd isn't how memories work

Thanks for that article it's great & my mum thinks it proves her right (so who cares if she is or not)

:)

Well, my dire predictions seem to be holding less water (groans at pun) with a much drier week in prospect for the first half of the easter hols. Yes there will be some sharp frosts over the weekend and temps will probably be down from where they are but not the horrible picture I painted.

Unfortunately the implications for yet another dry week.....