Can’t wait for spring? This is the day we’ll all be getting out in the garden again!

It’s safe to say that winter has been long, cold, dark and damp. In the UK, we’re not often blessed with warm, dry spells in the winter months – instead we tend to battle temperatures in their minuses and dodge rain showers in their hundreds. As much as it can feel like a struggle in the depths of winter, it does make us appreciate the better weather more – whenever that comes.

The British weather is not known for its predictability, so one thing we can be sure of is that when the weather does come, we’ll make the most of it. Whether it’s heading out to do some gardening, general patio maintenance, or just dusting off our garden furniture and enjoying being outside once again.

With that in mind, we wanted to find out exactly what day we can head out into our gardens, invite the family round, and enjoy the fresh air once more.

We’ve delved into the weather archives and analysed the rainfall data, UK-wide, since 1970, to find out which day this spring we’re likely to be heading into out gardens again.

The Driest Months in the UK on Average

We might be used to the term ‘April showers’, but April is actually the driest month of the whole year, on average. Good news for Easter Weekend celebrations, UK-wide, April has the lowest rainfall, with an average of 2.01mm recorded for the whole month. This is just shy of May’s average of 2.02, but much lower than the first month of spring, March. So, it looks like Easter Bank Holiday may be the first weekend we can host that long-awaited garden party.

April is also home to the driest day of the whole year; the 19th of April has posted just 1.44mm of rainfall on average since 1970.

If you want to make the most of spring as soon as you can, however, the best day to head out and avoid a pouring is – unlucky for some – the 13th of March. With an average of 2.01mm of rain since 1970, it’s the driest day in March, while the 19th of March also looks to be a safe bet, with 2.05mm of rainfall.

Planning further ahead? The 29th of June looks set to be the best day, UK-wide, in summer. It boasts the lowest rainfall out of the summer months, with 1.71mm of rain recorded.

August may often be seen as the height of summer, with the highest average temperatures recorded throughout the year[1], but it is often offset by rainfall. Recording the highest average rainfall UK-wide, August may not be the best day to host that family BBQ. If you are looking to get some dates in the diary and make the most of the summer holidays, the 7th and 28th of August (which just so happens to be Bank Holiday Sunday) should both be a safe bet. With 1.84mm and 1.94mm of rainfall respectively, they are the only two days in August where average rainfall has dropped below 2mm.

How does the rain differ regionally?

The 19th of April may be the driest day of spring UK-wide, but this varies slightly regionally. April is home to the driest average day in seven of the nine regions we looked at, with the exception of the South West, Wales and North Scotland, whose driest spring days fall in May.

When it comes to rainfall, March has the wettest day both nationally and regionally – six out of nine regions boast a soggy March day.

Don’t wait for the warmer weather to make a start on your garden

It may still be a bit chilly, but now is the time to start getting spring/summer ready! Richard Redman, Outdoor Category Manager at Robert Dyas, says you should be thinking about your outside space now. “The mistake many of us make is leaving it until the weather gets better before we get out and start pruning our gardens, but this is often too late; many plants and flowers, such as roses, are best planted in spring, to give them the best chance of thriving over the warmer months. Leaving it too late can mean you’ll not get those gorgeous, scented flowers until next year.

“Similarly, waiting to stock up on essential tools – such as trowels and pruning tools – as well as furniture, can mean you get left with a long wait. We generally see the outdoor category start to pick up mid-February and this year is no different; we’ve seen seeds and planters start to fly out already, with the whole category seeing an uplift. So, waiting until it gets into double figures isn’t always the best idea!”

If you’re ready to get back out into the garden and feel that sunshine on your face, while sipping a refreshing tipple, browse our range of garden furniture, including outdoor dining furniture, bistro sets, and garden chairs.

Methodology

We used MetOffice data to find the weather since 1970. From there, we took average rainfall throughout those years, breaking them down by months and individual days.