The point being we should keep an eye on the weather and keep our warm clothes handy.

The May referred to in this question, however, is not the month of May but the scrubby hedging shrubs affectionately referred to as "May".
Traditionally it flowered in the month which shares its name, but latterly the seasons begin much sooner and much of it flowered in April.

Shrubs which we traditionally associate with "the darling buds of May", now flower in April. As I look out from the back of my house across neighbouring gardens, for two weeks now, we have had forsythia, flowering currant, camellia, magnolia, rhododendron, amelanchier, broom, clematis and flowering cherry, all in flower at the same time.

Underneath this canopy of flowers, daffodils still cling on, the woods are starting to fill with carpets of bluebells while all over the purple flowers of aubrietia tumble out of walls and rockeries.

Indeed, rock gardens are characterised by carpets of purple aubrietia, pink saxifrage while nearby bleeding heart are covered in locket-like flowers. In garden ponds, the frogs have now moved on, making only an occasional guest appearance, while the fish have started to develop an appetite.

As the days lengthen and temperatures rise they become more active and readily rise to our food offerings.

Even the grass has started to grow. I gave my lawn a quick mowing about a month ago and it had grown very little since. However, over the last two weeks, the end of that cold easterly wind and the softer, warmer southerly wind has seen the lawn put on a spurt of growth. As soon as the ground is dry enough I shall have to be out there with the mower.

Indeed, everything is growing and I think we are at least a couple of weeks early this year. So much so, I started making summer hanging baskets the other day, and already they are putting on growth.

I always feel this moment marks a transition point between spring and the summer gardening season. This sense of arrival is perhaps brought home more than anything by the arrival of summer bedding plants in nurseries and garden centres.

Despite the milder conditions, May can be annoyingly varied. It can be wet, dry, hot or cold and lurking in the background is that niggling concern over late ground frost.

Many times I am asked if I think there will be another frost. Frankly, I have not a clue, but I do know that with care we can get on with planting up hanging baskets, planters and pots with summer flowers right now. But you have to be vigilant.

It is all a matter of balancing up the risks of getting stuff planted and growing strongly away against the chance of late ground-frost damage. In my experience, it is a risk worth taking, but I watch the weather forecast and if a cold night is forecast I simply cover stuff up with polythene or fleece. Besides I cannot wait!

Supreme among summer bedding plants are busy lizzies (impatiens) which provide constant sheets of colour all summer long.

They are an essential component of all hanging baskets and containers and their rain resistant qualities make them invaluable in this neighbourhood.

They are rivalled only by begonia semperflorens which is already in flower and also a superb performer in tubs and baskets, come rain or shine.

A personal favourite of mine are the petunias, their large trumpet-shaped flowers in a wide range of colours and styles allow them to demand attention wherever they are planted.

In a hot dry summer they perform better than the busy lizzies but in a wet year their prolific flowers can be easily damaged. This means we have to dead-head the faded flowers to encourage new blooms which are, however, produced freely.

Perhaps the most asked-for of all bedding plants is lobelia. The trailing forms add depth and bulk out gloriously in pots and hanging baskets. There are various colours available but "cascade mixed" and "trailing sapphire" are the most commonly seen, and the myriad of tiny flowers they produce provides an excellent foil for their more flamboyant neighbours.

While bedding plants provide a core for basket planting, there is a whole parallel group of plants available to us gardeners. These are generally raised from cuttings rather than seed and their popularity, and the range available, has soared in recent years.

They include the long trails of nepeta, the dancing blue daisies of brachycombe and the free-flowering little gems of vebena. There is a vast choice and almost no duds, as they all seem to do well.

One, however, stands tall above (or hangs low below) the rest. Trailing petunias are tough sprawling plants which respond well to good treatment. Like their bedding-out cousins, they produce large trumpet-like flower in a wide range of colours and styles. Feed them regularly with a dose of phostrogen and they will quickly come into flower and produce long trails of vibrant blooms and more than earn their keep. Generally referred to as "surfinias" they make an outstanding contribution to any floral display and you should be thinking of planting baskets up with them now.

As I write, the automatic vents in my greenhouse have just opened. Things are warming up. Time to prepare for a great summer display – but keep your eye on that weather forecast!