Our 10 best spring walks for wildflowers and views
Phillipa Cherryson
With the cherry blossom out early this year, we’re looking set for a bumper season. Here are the best places in the UK to see the most beautiful displays.
Cherry blossom is one of the most exciting things about spring – along with the sunny faces of daffodils and the extra daylight from switching to British Summer Time.
These ephemeral blossoms are loved around the world. Japan is particularly famed for its love of the flowers, of course, with thousands of people flocking to cherry trees to marvel at – and picnic under – the blooms.
But there are some beautiful places in the UK to see cherry blossom this spring. It normally peaks around late March and April – but this year southern areas of the UK are already enjoying the blooms.
Cherry blossom is one of the most exciting things about spring – along with the sunny faces of daffodils and the extra daylight from switching to British Summer Time.
These ephemeral blossoms are loved around the world. Japan is particularly famed for its love of the flowers, of course, with thousands of people flocking to cherry trees to marvel at – and picnic under – the blooms.
But there are some beautiful places in the UK to see cherry blossom this spring. It normally peaks around late March and April – but this year southern areas of the UK are already enjoying the blooms.
Cherry blossom in the UK typically flowers between early March and late April or even early May – it depends on the location, the type of tree and how unpredictable the spring weather has been. This year, blossom is already on display.
“Some of the early flowering we’re witnessing in our gardens is absolutely spectacular and certainly brings welcome cheer,” says Andy Jasper, Head of Gardens and Parklands at the National Trust. “But these blooms are also a very visual sign of how our seasons are shifting, and the consequences of a rapidly changing climate, especially over the last decade.
“As long as we don’t now experience any prolonged sharp dip in temperatures, we should be able to look forward to a very drawn-out blossom season with ripples of blossom spreading across the country, from the south-west and Wales through to Northern Ireland, north-east England and Scotland, followed by a bumper year for fruit harvests.”
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is a magnet for tree lovers, home to 2,500 different species from all corners of the globe and boasting five national tree collections.
Located near the M4 in the Cotswolds, the park has its own open Cherry Glade. This is a favourite spot for visitors stopping for a snack or picnic as the weather improves. The trees glow for a few weeks each spring with pink hues (getting lighter as they expand and mature) – the varieties growing there have between five to more than 100 petals in each blossom.
Rosemoor has a number of locations where visitors can catch the springtime spectacle. Cherry blossom can be found in the Woodland Garden, set among camellias, magnolias and rhododendrons.
Lady Anne’s Arboretum is also home to some of Rosemoor’s oldest cherry trees. RHS recently added 15 ornamental cherry trees as part of the Sakura Cherry Tree Project, which celebrates the UK’s friendship with Japan.
“One of my favourite cherries for its simplicity, Prunus ‘Jo-nioi’ is bursting with clouds of pure white flowers in the lower shrub border,” says Sheila Dearing, Rosemoor’s Garden Technical Services Officer. “It really is a striking specimen – a magnet for both visitors and pollinating insects.”
Did you know?
If you can’t get outside to see the cherry blossoms, you can bring them home to you instead. It’s possible to grow your own cherry blossom trees indoors. This useful guide can help you get started.
The RHS says acid cherry trees are better suited to growing in pots as they’re less vigorous. Some cultivars – like ‘Gisela 5’ – have been grafted onto semi-dwarfing root stocks to control their eventual size, though they might still grow too large for some houses. The RHS has more advice on growing a cherry tree in a container on its website.
If you find yourself in the southeast of England, a trip to Greenwich Park breaks up the city bustle, and each spring erupts in pink plumage.
The central pathway through the park becomes blanketed overhead with cherry blossom. It’ll be one of the busier spots on our list, but there is a chance you might see one of London’s infamous green parakeets snacking on the tasty blooms. Greenwich Park also houses a rose garden if you need a moment of calm from the crowds.
The Sakura Cherry Tree Project also led to more than 40 cherry trees planted at Tatton Park in Cheshire.
The gardening team there has thoughtfully planted the trees in such a way so that visitors can follow a trail, called the Spring Cherry Walk. This takes them from the Pinetum, past the Japanese Garden and to the Choragic Monument.
Three types of cherry have been planted as part of the project: white-flowered ‘Tai Haku’, the pink ‘Beni Yutaka’, and ‘Yedoensis’, which grows blushing white blossom.
Iconic pink and white cherry blossom pretty much take over the town of Helensburgh each spring. The town’s trees are the only urban tree collection included in the National Tree Collections of Scotland.
Visitors can find white cherry trees lining Stafford Street and West King Street, while pink cherry chasers should head to Colquhoun Street, West Princes Street, John Street and Lomond Street. There’s even a mile-long avenue of pink cherry blossom on West Argyle Street.
Helensburgh Tree Conservation Trust has a leaflet and map guide to the flowering trees of the town available to download from its website.
This Jacobean mansion and its ancient yew hedges sit at the heart of a garden and historic park in Blickling Estate.
Blickling’s Walled Garden underwent a restoration in 2014, which saw the team add 150 cherry, plum, apple and pear trees two years later. Now these trees have had time to mature, their displays of blossom (starting with plum in early spring and closely followed by cherry) are magnificent.
The West Garden is also home to some magnolias that are stunning when in bloom.
National Trust property Chirk Castle forms part of the organisation’s annual #BlossomWatch campaign.
The 700-year-old castle is home to stunning formal gardens, and lawns dotted with cherry and pear tree blossoms. Cherry tree blossom gives off a fragrance that drifts throughout the gardens in spring. If you miss the cherry blossom, don’t worry.
Later visitors can enjoy the tumbling wisteria in the courtyard, and the late spring rhododendrons in the shrub garden.
Cherry trees aren’t just great for spring blossom – they provide a bounty of delicious fruit in summer and can transform your garden with rich autumnal hues before resting over winter.
Here are three trees that are easy to plant and are self-fertile (meaning they don’t need a companion tree to produce that all-important fruit):
For the keen home cooks, Prunus cerasus ‘Morello’ grows large dark red fruits with a sour taste, ideal for some recipes. Harvest the berries in August and prepare your loved ones for a feast of delicious crumbles, pies and jams.
If you’re new to growing fruit trees, Prunus avium ‘Stella’ is good starting point. The sweet fruit it produces will be ready to pick towards the end of July. It’s easy to grow and of course is adorned with white flowers during mid-spring.
Like Stella, Prunus domestica ‘Sunburst’ is easy to manage. It was developed in the Sixties as the first ever sweet black cherry. It produces a lot of fruit that ripens in early July. There are dwarf bush versions available if you prefer a smaller tree.
Written by Rosanna Spence she/her
Published: Updated:
Rosanna Spence has been a journalist for nearly 10 years, reporting on a huge array of topics – from microwaves to cocktails, sustainable buildings, the Caribbean islands and beyond. She’s interviewed chefs at the helm of Michelin-starred restaurants and chatted to countless CEOs about their businesses, as well as created travel guides for experienced travellers seeking life-changing adventures. Throughout her career, she has created content for Business Traveller, i-escape.com, Pub & Bar, BRITA, Dine Out and many more leading titles and brands.
Phillipa Cherryson
Rosanna Spence
Rosanna Spence
Lucy Hall