Britain in bloom

And boy, what a variety of blooms, with floral patterns ranging from huge, splashy daubed petals and stems through to densely packed little flower heads, clustered together as in an English country garden gone mad. Indeed, not for the first time this season, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is providing magnificently eccentric fashion inspiration.

Make no mistake, these are blooms with a life of their own – and with a distinct outline of their own, too, as the trend for hazy, blurry floral patterns wanes (good thing, too, as they give me a terrible headache).

These are flowers with a dark side, the brightly-coloured petal heads and leaves often set against a deeper background (Watteau paintings spring to mind, with ominous shadows lurking in the midst of seemingly idyllic pastoral scenes). But this dark background has its practical side, too,as it makes florals easier to wear, providing figure-flattering black, grey or navy as the overall base tones.

Florals key into all the main trends. There is a retro 1950s feel with Cath Kidston-style pale turquoise and pink, for a Desperate Housewives meets Mad Men appeal.

There are also exotic lush and leafy florals in dark green, orange and fuchsia African and tropical style prints, which tie in beautifully with this season's wild safari trend, to team with utility khaki and taupe.

Don't be afraid to mix floral patterns, as in different size and colours of blooms, and also mix in with other types of pattern, such as animal print and stripes or this season's gingham checks.

To tone the look down, mix floral with nudes – the floral dress and cream trench is still a key spring look, more than ever, actually – but nude accessories do the trick well, too. Never forget that this is not a chintzy, pretty look at all. This is florals with an edge. If in doubt, toughen up your look with studded leather sandals, belt or bag, to give the impression that not everything in the garden is rosy.