We extend a  special welcome this month  to Tom Attwood, of Abi and Tom's Garden Plants, Halecat Nursery, Witherslack. Tom will be writing a series of guest articles for Reckless Gardener with tips and advice for the season.

The challenge of this spring has pushed the resilience of gardeners everywhere. Nationwide the cold start has put the brakes on the progress of our spring plants, be they bulbs, herbaceous perennials, trees and shrubs. Despite this, the delayed start is beginning to be a thing of the past as the new shoots of growth move at breakneck speed.

Read more: Spring tips and opportunities

Across the country we are seeing the effects of autumn; many of our established trees are shedding their foliage and readying themselves for winter hibernation.

The tree planting season has arrived and now, more than ever, is the time for gardeners to start planting Britain’s future trees.

With Ash Dieback spreading across the country and wiping out 100,000 Ash trees (so far) it’s time to re-populate these once abundant areas in order to preserve our great British landscape.

Read more: The Tree Planting Season: Preserving Our British Countryside