Following weeks of cold and rain last month, April showers have given way to a few weeks of warm, sunny days and the combination of the two has acted like a booster resulting in many plants coming on leaps and bounds and flowering far earlier than they normally would. br Hopefully it’s not just a case that they sense something we don’t and that we’re in for another awful, wet summer. I probably shouldn’t even say that for fear of jinxing us all, but it’s very unusual to have so many summer plants blooming away a good six weeks before they’d normally be doing so in our climate. br br Not that I’m complaining. The weather through the early part of May has been beautiful - I’m writing this in advance under blue skies before I head off on holidays for a bit – and looking around you can see gardens everywhere are filling out fast with pops of colour emerging and many people already on their second or third lawn mowing of spring.