According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) the delayed spring could lead to a bumper crop of apples, strawberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries this year. The recent cold weather has delayed the flowering of trees and shrubs which means they are less likely to be hit by the damaging effects of frost.
RHS chief horticulturist Guy Barter said: 'Frost can seriously damage open flowers and baby fruitlets, but the risk of frost decreases the closer you get to June.'
He said that if fruit trees flowered in February there would be 'months and months of potential frosts to ruin the flowers', but later flowering - at the normal peak time of around April 26 for apples - reduced the risk of being hit by frosts.
And with cold weather forecast into the beginning of May, spring blossoms are likely to be a week late, pushing them closer to the frost-free period, he said.
'While that may not sound like a significant delay it can mean the difference between a bountiful harvest of fruit including apples and strawberries and an average or poor year,' he said.
