Consider the lilies

Until then, of course, there's February to navigate and March to battle – potentially, weeks of ice and snow, freezing winds and suffering gardens.

But things aren't always as bleak as they appear – snowdrops, anemones, daffodils, and tulips are either preparing to burst into bloom or are pushing their way ever nearer to the soil surface and promising a spring filled with flowers.

And while they are thumbing their noses at the English winter, the queen of the summer-flowering bulbs ought to be in every gardeners' mind.

Lilies are a favourite of the British, not just for their appearance but also for their exquisite scent. They have come a long way since they evolved from woodland plants – heads in sun and roots in shade – and now they are available in a huge variety of colours, shapes and sizes.

Surprisingly, they are quite happy-go- lucky – give them a rich, well-drained soil and they will thrive in the sun.

Nowadays, many are grown in pots where the gardener can provide them with the conditions they love. Bulbs are best planted in late autumn but there's nothing to stop a March planting from producing stunning late-summer flowers. The most important thing to remember is that lilies are very similar to daffodils – they should never be planted alone. Grow them in pots in clumps, in beds and borders, leaving them undisturbed year after year as they grow to form colonies of colour and fragrance.

Grow the Oriental hybrids, the Asiatic hybrids, the American hybrids – but if you have the room for just one lily, make sure it's the magnificent L regale, the queen of lilies. The flowers resemble huge, gaudy trumpets, waxed and textured as though by a sculptor.

The scent is incredible, sometimes so thick that it seems to suck the very oxygen out of the air. In August, these superb flowers stand almost four feet tall to hurl their intense scent around the garden.

Lilies grown in pots tend to flower slightly earlier than those grown in open soil. Plant the bulbs a soon as you get them, using a compost incorporating well-rotted leafmould with coarse sand to help drainage.

Use crocks to cover the holes at the bottom of the pot and plant the bulbs two inches deep before watering well.

After the lilies have finished flowering, place the pots in a cool greenhouse where they can be kept dry until it's time to bring them out the next year.

After two or three years of this treatment, plant them out in the garden.