Last year's bitter winter put a lot of people off tree ferns, many of which died unless they were protected or taken indoors.

And that dreadful summer was followed by a bitter, long winter, one of the coldest on record.

Last year saw the coldest December on record and now another bitter winter is coming.

Set in the bleak, harsh winter of the Arctic Circle, this is a brilliant thriller.

I needed some excitement because I was having a bleak winter.

It is looking like a bleak winter in the City.

After that there were fears of another brutal winter, but they proved unfounded when the winter turned out not to be so bad.

This has already been a topsy-turvy year of weather: a brutal winter, a record hot spring and the coolest summer for 18 years.

After that there were fears of another brutal winter, but actually it was not bad at all.

Cold winters and wet summers just become less likely, and we will still have to be prepared for them.

The cold winter enhanced prospects for fruit and the trees were given the chill they needed to produce good quality blossom.

If you have a very cold winter, the risks are obvious.

The big risk is if we have another dry winter, the third in a row for the first time in 300 years.

The dry winter has seen the UK get barely a quarter of its usual rain.

It has been one of the driest winters on record.

The harder winter this year has taken its toll on many plants.

Does this week's freeze give any indication of a hard winter?

Weather forecasters predict another hard winter.

The flowering has been delayed but the cold harsh winter improved the quality of the blooms and the lack of frost has made conditions perfect for flowering.

Thousands of hungry birds left the countryside in the harsh winter to find food and warmth in urban gardens.

But have they survived the harsh winter?

I resented the birds nesting on the roof at the first sign of spring after a long winter.

It's going to be a long winter for us all.

Then a long winter set in.

The mild winter and wet summer has also led to increased numbers of ticks, which can spread Lyme disease in humans.

After a mild winter the pollen counts are expected to be high right through to early autumn, so stock up on remedies.

Our mild, wet winter means grass is still growing.

It was a very snowy winter on the moors, but red grouse have thick plumage and feathered legs and toes that protect them against the cold.

Indeed, there were many cold snowy winters through to the 1800s.

This snowy winter has caused some quite unexpected damage.

Many plants need to stop growing for a time, too; a warm winter can weaken them for the next growing year.

Spring has sprung earlier than usual this year, thanks to a warm, wet winter.

I hope it's a warm winter.