So alluring is the scent as it hangs in the cold air that no garden should be without a winter-flowering daphne. Charles Quest-Ritson picks the best

IN the swelter of last summer, a coolly ...

Nothing is quite so cheering after a long dull winter as the vivid floods of crocuses that wash over our parks and gardens in February and March. For David Carver, however, who has set up a small spec

As the long nights shorten, Mounton House garden quietly emerges from winter with delicate sprinklings of white narcissi, Scilla siberica and crocuses through the lawns. Daphnes fill the air with frag

This is the month of horticultural happiness, and with everything looking fresh, green and lush, even the burgeoning weeds become – briefly – delightful additions to the garden. Selfheal sprouts gaily

Find out which early species to watch for, how to make your patch more butterfly-friendly and where to record your sightings for science