Readers here in the UK will know that, after the wettest winter/spring on record and stubbornly cold temperatures, finally as we reach mid-summer, we might finally be getting some summer weather.

When we wrote last September of the ‘difficult year for plants and wildlife suffering the stuck weather systems of climate change’ while struggling to harvest affected crops, little did we know we were about to get the UK’s second wettest October to March period on record!

Climate change is a major reason we suffered such a waterlogged winter, scientists have confirmed, and whole farms were unable get on the sodden land to plant spring crops.

Here at The Secret Acre we got none of the usual crisp frosty winter days to get out and do winter pruning and maintenance. Then in common with everyone else, we struggled to germinate seeds in the greenhouse, and couldn’t plant anything out on the still waterlogged ground.

Having ventured out maybe four days in the six months from November to April, we finally got back on the land in May, racing to make up for lost time.

Fortunately some things seem to have enjoyed the very wet start, followed by May’s sunshine, showers and continuing cold, including the bluebells, our green roof, the asparagus and the calla lilies.

Fingers crossed for some normal summer temperatures now.