Where have all Shropshire’s daffodils gone?

County mothers expecting a bunch of the bright yellow flowers for Mother’s Day could well be left disappointed because the coldest winter in 30 years means the growing season has been seriously hampered.

Sites across the county which are normally a sea of colour with the onset of Spring have been left eerily empty and bare by the harsh weather.

Daffodil growers have reported that the season has been delayed by up to four weeks, causing a shortage of the flowers.

The worst-hit areas for commercial growing have been Lincolnshire and Cornwall.

Stan Sedman, former chairman of Shrewsbury in Bloom, who led the town to glory in the European and International In-Bloom competitions almost three years ago, said the daffodils had not yet sprung to life in the county.

“It’s been extremely cold weather which has held the daffodils back and it’s held the snowdrops back as well,” he said.

“The ground has just been so cold but the bulbs will bloom in all their splendour shortly.

“They are peeking out quite well at some of the roadsides and within three or four weeks I would have thought we will see a mass of colour.

“Normally you would go in your garden and pick them but people haven’t been able to do that yet. We will enjoy them when they do come out.

“Shrewsbury is an absolute treat to drive through when the daffodils are about.”

Mr Sedman said commercial growers would have been hit by the colder weather but said many now managed their stock indoors.

He said: “I have been into town and they are around in some of the shops and they are not too expensive so there are still daffodils about.”

Mike Mann, production director for Winchester Growers Ltd, based in Penzance, Cornwall, said he expected the firm’s crop to be down by 50 per cent this week compared to the same period in previous years.

“We are anticipating less than half of the daffodils being available from our own crop than we would normally expect in Mother’s Day week,” he said.