With the first day of spring fast approaching I have quite a few crocuses in flower, all planted in containers or raised beds. These delicate little flowers appear mainly in late winter to early spring and are good in borders or seasonal containers while others are best in a rock garden or an alpine house. Robust types provide drifts of colour in lawns and underneath deciduous trees.

They are grown from bulb-like structures called corms and are low-growing perennial plants from the iris family. In the UK crocus flowers mark the arrival of spring.

These early bloomers can often be seen peeking up through the snow well before any other flowers appear on the landscape. Well, mine have not seen any snow this year but still look striking, while very dainty.

They can grow in a range of conditions, including woodlands, coastal gardens, and suburban lawns. Bloom colours on the tube-shaped flowers include mauve, lavender and yellow. Most of mine are mauve. If you don’t have any, plant this perennial flower in the autumn for an early spring delight. They naturalise, meaning that they spread and come back year after year – with minimum care – for an ever-larger display. Plant bulbs in groups or clusters rather than spacing them in a single line along a walkway or border. Single flowers get lost in the landscape. Plant a few inches apart, and plant in groups of ten or more.

I can’t believe the weather this past week. Everything started to seem spring like, then we have had a few days with a hard frost in the morning. Worse still, I thought we’d finished with the strong winds for a while but we had them hit the garden again, lots of the containers I shelter for the winter were put out and I had to be protected again from the wind.

A few years ago I purchased an interesting wibbly wobbly metal fence that sits at the front of Driftwood from an artist in Suffolk. I was amazed recently when he contacted me to say he had a surplus 4 metre length that he was willing to donate to the garden if I paid for the carriage.

Needless to say, I agreed and it was delivered this week. I just have to find the right place for it in the back garden now.

All my pressure cleaning is now complete and the garden is looking very neat and tidy. Bulbs are beginning to flower and it looks very spring-like. The next big job on the agenda is to empty the shed and summer house and arrange the stored art around the garden again.

Read more of Geoff’s garden at www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk