Ref. 28521-17EVENING Advertiser photographer Siobhan Boyle captured this rose beginning to bloom in the Town Gardens, Old Town Swindon even though it's still only mid-January.
But James Nuttall, assistant manager of Blooms of Bressingham in Hay Lane, Wroughton, said this is a phenomenon that can lead to trouble for the plants. He said: "It's quite unusual but because it's been such a mild winter, the plants think it is still autumn so they carry on flowering.
"You can also see it with fruit trees flowering early. In a normal cycle where you have a cold spell the plant starts to create its own version of anti-freeze to help it through the winter.
"In mild years, it doesn't do this and so a cold snap, even of only two days, in February or March, can damage the plant."
The picture was taken on a Nikon D1 with a 17-35mm lens, using a shutter speed of 1/250, and an aperture of 4.8.
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