SPRING is said to often come early in Cornwall and so be ready and prepared. Snowdrops and hellebores are already flowering in the garden.

I have been enjoying camelia flowers for a while now. I am looking forward to the flowers and the scent from our witch hazel shrubs which should appear over the next few weeks. Then there will be the scent and flowers from the daphnes which we expect to be enjoying very soon.

We find that the smaller daffodils like tete-a-tete do particularly well for us in our front garden. They seem to flower for many weeks in early spring. They come back each year, although I usually do add more bulbs to our collection each year.

They have the big advantage of not snapping in the wind because of their height and their foliage dies back pretty quickly after flowering.

If you didn’t plant bulbs last autumn, flowering plants can be bought at many garden centres now and added to outside borders.

There will be many more spring flowers like snowflakes, crocuses, tulips and others appearing across our borders over the weeks and months ahead.

I am trying to get chillis going, grown from seed using bottom heat and lights in our greenhouse. The seeds need warm temperatures and a long season of growing.

I have been tidying the garden a little. I always find it a tricky balance knowing how much to do here. Whilst I want to leave some old stems to help wildlife in the garden, I would also like to be able to see all the many snowdrops and other plants now starting to emerge and flower.

At this time of the year, the bones, structure and outlines of our gardens show up more clearly. It is a good time to sweep paths and clear any growth straying onto them. Paths may also be slippery and need a stiff brush using on them.

I have emptied our compost bins onto our vegetable beds at our allotment. The bins have now been refilled with chicken poultry manure mixed with wood chips and this should be ready for use later in the year.

I have been picking small beetroots, leeks, and one or two carrots as well as salad. It is really nice to be picking produce at this time of year.

The wood chip paths on the allotment are getting a little muddy and so I shall be putting new fresh wood chip down here shortly.

Don’t be downcast on darker and damper days. Be ready and prepared for spring which is just around the corner.

Enjoy the bright days but also look for the early signs of spring as you walk in the countryside and in your garden.

Martin Pallett