About 35 volunteers with wellies and spades planted thousands of crocuses on the Stray at West Park in Harrogate this week.

Some 40,000 crocus bulbs have been added to the Stray over the last couple of years.

The perennials, which flower in late winter and spring, have become synonymous with the 200 acres of parkland around Harrogate. It is believed there are between six and eight million of the flowers on the Stray.

This week’s effort focused on the Otley Road section, which has not been covered in recent planting schemes.

Organised by North Yorkshire Council, which manages the Stray, people from Bilton Conservation Group, Harrogate manufacturer Belzona Polymerics, the charity Open Country and individual volunteers took part in this week’s planting.

This week’s planting.

Crocuses flowering in spring this year on West Park Stray.

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There may be snow in the forecast, but Harrogate’s Stray is proving that spring is certainly on the way.

A sea of white, shades of purple, and splashes of yellow is carpeting the edges of the Stray as the district braces for a predicted cold snap next week.

Harrogate is well-known for its impressive display of thousands of crocuses each spring – many of them planted in recent years by local volunteers.

Bilton Conservation Group was one of several organisations to help plant the bulbs almost three years ago, along with Horticap and Open Country, in a project organised by Harrogate Borough Council.

Bilton Conservation Group chairman Keith Wilkinson said:

“It’s great news that they’re doing so well this year. It was a good turn-out on the day of the planting.

“The mixture we put in was the Harrogate mix — the pale, white with the vertical purple stripe. It was a special commission from Holland.”

The displays have improved in the years since the bulbs were planted in autumn 2020, and are likely to increase further in future as they self-divide.

Visitors have been enjoying the scene this week as the crocuses get into full bloom.

Young Emma, who turns two on Sunday (pictured above), was staying in Harrogate for a few days with her parents and took the opportunity to explore the flowers – and pose for photos.

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As temperatures finally start to reach double figures and we get a glimpse of sunny days ahead, our focus starts to turn towards the garden.

You can’t fail to be inspired by the bursts of colourful crocuses on the Stray and it won’t be long before we see Harrogate’s famous pink cherry blossoms appearing too.

This is usually the time of year I tentatively step out of the back door, have a look at the dire state of the barren landscape before me and then retreat back to the house. ‘I’ll tackle it later’, I tell myself as I metaphorically bury my head in the kids’ waterlogged sandpit.

Therapeutic

I actually really enjoy gardening once I get into the swing of things. I find it really therapeutic. But I usually have no idea where to start and can sometimes it can feel a bit overwhelming.

So I turned to the experts from two horticultural charities to get their tips on how to tackle the garden now spring has finally sprung.

Horticap

Phil Airey, manager of Harrogate gardening charity Horticap, on Otley Road, said:

“It’s March and the garden is coming alive. The bulbs are ready to shine, with snowdrops, daffodils, crocuses and tulips to follow.

“Perennials are just starting to grow, so this is your time to cut away all the old growth from winter. Before you do, just check for wildlife. They might have been using the old foliage as cover, so just check before you remove it.”

Phil said it was now time to cut down any dogwood, also known as Cornus, which are deciduous trees and shrubs.

Vibrant stems

He said:

“Cut it down to one or two buds from the ground so you will leave it stumpy. This will help it grow vigorous shoots, leaving you with the vibrant coloured stems for next winter.”

After being battered by three storms, Phil said it was worth making sure any ripped branches in damaged trees had “clean cuts”.

He said:

“Just use any saw to make a clean cut and this will help protect the tree from infections. This is for small trees, as larger ones must be carried out by a trained tree surgeon.”

I was surprised at Phil’s next tip, as I would usually wait a bit longer to start tackling the grass, but if it helps get rid of messy old leaves, I’m all for it.

He said:

“Have you had your mower serviced? Because you can start cutting your grass. Cut it at your highest setting, don’t cut it too low just yet.

“Doing this will act like a vacuum, sucking up old leaves and twigs. Leaving the lawn looking tidy and free of debris.”

Phil said it was now “all go” at Horticap, which provides training in horticulture and rural skills to adults with learning and other disabilities.

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No better sight

He said:

“The summer bedding is here and there is no better sight than a tiny geranium (pelargonium) starting to grow.

“The students are busy getting labels ready and clearing the beds. We are also sowing the veg in the greenhouse, but you can start sowing peas and broad beans directly into prepared beds and pots.

“It’s also time to start “chitting” your seed potatoes. It is a simple process of forcing seed potatoes into growth before they are planted out. You can place them on a window sill or glasshouse.

“It’s getting very busy at Horticap, and that means only one thing. People want to be out in the gardens so this weekend is a great time to start. Spring has definitely sprung.”

RHS Harlow Carr

Over the road at RHS Harlow Carr, which is run by the UK’s leading gardening charity, horticulturists Malcom Dewar and Philip Keesing said it was time to “sit back and enjoy the display of all the spring-flowering bulbs as they start to pop”.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

This is something I think most of us are particularly looking forward to after what feels like an eternal winter.

Top tips

They offered the following top tips:

• Finish cutting back grasses and perennials if you haven’t already done so, to make way for this year’s growth.
• Trim winter-flowering heathers as they finish flowering, to prevent them from becoming leggy.
• Deadhead winter pansies and violas to encourage them to keep on blooming into the spring.
• Deadhead daffodils as they finish flowering and let the foliage die back naturally.
• Sow some seeds.
• Trim up overgrown hedges and ivies before the bird nesting season.
• Carry on cutting back herbaceous perennials, weeding and tidying flower beds as you go.
• Repair any paving or hard surfaces in the garden that may have been damaged from snow and ice.

The main borders at RHS garden Harlow Carr.