Plant this Cowslips (Primula veris) will colonise ground around ponds or add sparkle to damp lawns, sending up spikes of buttery blooms in April and May that provide pollen and nectar for bees. These British native perennials prefer chalky or neutral soils and will grow in containers if kept moist.
Read this If you’re feeling engulfed by “garden overwhelm” (a common phenomenon come spring) a new book, The 5 Minute Garden (£9.99 Pavilion Books), might calm your nerves. Writer Laetitia Maklouf puts the case for five-minute garden forays that, done daily, will help you create a beautiful plot.
Cut this If you are replacing fences blown down in recent storms, make sure you leave a 13cm square hole at ground level for hedgehogs to access your garden: gravel boards pre-cut with a hog hole (like these ones from Jacksons Fencing) make the job easier.
