Time for a colour explosion in your garden after a long winter

The long grey, mucky winter is almost at an end - and these bright flowers and plants will help the garden catch up and get straight into the swing of spring

The flowering of the cherry tree is a cultural event in Japan

For a few weeks now, hellebores and daffodils have been doing their best to lift the garden out of the winter doldrums. This month they are joined by a host of plants that add interest - and hopefully, weather-wise, apart from the chance of a light frost, it will be plain sailing from now on. Things are a little behind, but before we know it, the winter that went on and on will ...