This year has been very difficult for gardeners and visiting gardens due to the weather.

A trip to see the snowdrops had to be cancelled due to the lack of flowers probably caused by conditions last year and the inclement this year.

We have had a talk on daffodils and all their different forms and colours from Carol Hindmarsh, one of our members. It was most interesting as she could remember them locally from her childhood and had also been involved with planting them as a teacher.

A visit was made to Durham Botanical Gardens in April, where a sign informed us most plants and trees were nearly a month late in their growth, however we had an enjoyable morning the weather was cold but the sun shone and the sky was blue.

There was a bonus the daffodils and crocus were in full bloom, we were a little bit early for the rhododendrons but there were some in flower.

We warmed ourselves afterwards in their excellent coffee shop with a steaming bowl of Thai Chicken Soup.