Daff demise 'should spell summer'

15:04:20 18th April 2008

With daffodils beginning to fade gardeners should be able to start welcoming in the summer, one local publication has stated.

The Huntingdon Town Crier describes the yellow trumpeted flora as a "sure sign of spring" and their departure as an indication that summer is on its way - at least, that is the theory.

Gardeners mourning the loss of the flowers on these plants should restrain themselves from cutting back their green foliage or even tidying them with garden twine, since exposure to light will provide energy for next year's display, the correspondent warns.

Meanwhile, with summer proper seeming some way off for many, the publication warns against investing in the likes of tomato plants unless the garden for which they are destined is equipped with a greenhouse.

This is because such plants will not withstand cold nights and will not recover should their leaves be exposed to such conditions.

BBC Gardener's World states that this week, greenhouse owners can begin to sow marrows, courgettes and cucumbers in a heated propagator, as well as sowing summer bedding.