LandLove Magazine MarchApril 2014 Edizione posteriore

Is it just me or did it feel like spring was never going to arrive? The past few months have been so wet and dreary it’s such a relief that spring has finally sprung and we can look forward to sunnier days ahead (fingers crossed!). The longer, warmer days to come mean that the garden will begin to spring back into life. In this issue we look at the buds that will be bursting open (p.28) and the must-have flowering shrubs to choose to guarantee some colour in every corner of your garden (p.32). We also have some beautiful ideas for growing and displaying crocuses both indoors and out (p.16). Things are beginning to stir on the allotment at this time of year too, and we’ve got some delicious dishes for you to make using seasonal produce such as rhubarb (p.44) and spring onions (p.42), as well as some lovely recipes and decorating ideas to make your family’s Easter lunch extra special (p.50). And to encourage the kids to have fun outdoors during the Easter holidays, you’ll find some suggestions for fun games that all the family can join in with on p.66, as well as some top tips for fossil hunting along the Jurassic Coast (p.116). It’s not just plants that are bursting into life at this time of year, our native wildlife is pretty busy too. On p.106 you can learn about the death-defying adventures of the common toad as it makes its way to its annual breeding pond, while on p.92 we take a look at the stars of the dawn chorus and discover there’s more to this finely orchestrated event than first meets the ear. Fields full of lambs are common sights at this time of year and we go behind the scenes with a Norfolk sheep farmer to see just what happens on the farm at lambing time(p.110). If the sight of fluffy Easter chicks has made you think about keeping your own flock of chickens, then take a look at our feature on p.70 and you could be enjoying fresh eggs next Easter!