The Best National Trust Gardens to Visit in Spring

Spring is in the air and, after hunkering down through the winter, it’s that time of year when we want to enjoy the better weather and indulge in some lovely days out.

With many of the National Trust’s houses opening their doors again and gardens coming to life, spring is one of the best times to visit one of their properties and see the gardens starting to bloom. National Trust gardens are renowned for having some of the best displays of spring flowers around.

Iconic daffodils with their cheerful yellow flowers herald the advent of spring and if you want to see a host of golden blooms, there are plenty of gardens where you can view them.

One of the best places to see daffodils is at Blickling Estate with its Jacobean mansion, near Aylsham in Norfolk, where avenues brim with more than 100,000 flowers. In addition, the West Garden at Blickling is a great place to view magnolia blossom, while later in spring the Blickling’s Great Woods are one of the best places in the East of England to see bluebells. Younger visitors will love the Easter Egg hunt from 1st to 17th April.

In the gardens of Jacobean-style Anglesey Abbey, near Cambridge, daffodils abound and, with a new specialist daffodil tour running on weekdays from 20th March to 21st April, daffodil enthusiasts can learn about the differences between each of the 40 varieties and the history of the different species.

Dating from the 18th century, Basildon Park, near Reading in Berkshire, with a Palladian-style mansion at its heart, has 400 acres of historic parkland and gardens and is awash with daffodils in March (the woods here are covered in swathes of bluebells later in spring). An Easter Egg hunt takes place from 1st to 16th April.

If you are in Hampshire, do visit Mottisfont, near Romsey, an 18th-century house with riverside gardens, where beautiful daffodils and narcissi grow among the giant ancient trees.

One of the National Trust’s top ten gardens, Stourhead, near Mere in Wiltshire, has a world-famous landscape garden, in addition to its Palladian house. So it is no surprise that Stourhead is renowned for its display of glorious daffodils, which are mostly a rare variety, as well as its abundant magnolia blossom and beautiful bluebell wood. An Easter trail takes place from 25th March to 16th April.

The quintessential village of Lacock, near Chippenham in Wiltshire, has changed little in 200 years and you can spend a wonderful day here and explore Lacock Abbey, a quirky country house with monastic roots that was home to William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of the photographic negative. You’ll find a fabulous display of daffodils in the Woodland Garden.

Imposing Tudor Coughton Court, near Alcester, Warwickshire, has a spring garden with thousands of daffodils, which was opened in honour of Dr Tom D Throckmorton, known as the Dean of Daffodils, who bred more than 50 varieties in his lifetime. It also has an ancient bluebell wood. There’s an Easter Egg hunt from 4th to 10th April.

Derbyshire is home to Elizabethan Hardwick Hall, near Chesterfield, built by Bess of Hardwick. The gardens are a sight to behold with a multitude of daffodils, many planted by schoolchildren on their visits over the years.

A rare example of a Tudor manor, Speke Hall, near Liverpool, is where you can see a show of daffodils that lasts longer than most. The gardening team here has planted three different varieties to keep the display blooming for as long as possible (the woodland here is also renowned for its bluebells).

There is a romantic story behind the daffodils at Gibside, near Gateshead, Tyne & Wear. Apparently, the blooms at the Georgian landscape garden, which is one of only a few surviving, were gifted by Sarah Hussey Delaval to her lover, the 10th Earl of Strathmore. The walled garden here is full of fruit blossom, including apricot, plum, cherry and apple blossom from February through to late May, with a Festival of Blossom from  24th to 30th April, while an Easter Egg Hunt takes place from 1st to 18th April.

Acorn Bank, near Penrith, Cumbria, guarantees a beautiful show. The former owner, Dora Una Ratcliffe, was known as ‘the lady of a million daffodils’.

Clouds of frothy blossom are undoubtedly one of the highlights of spring and there is a variety of blossom to be seen at the National Trust’s gardens.

Magnolia is one of the earliest blossoms and its opulent waxy flowers are an early harbinger of spring.

A range of magnolias can be enjoyed at Bodnant Garden, Conwy, a Grade I listed historic garden, with many of the magnolias dating back 100 years or more. In spring, a pink magnolia towers over the entrance to the garden and makes a fantastic photo opportunity.

During the First World War, soldiers found solace walking in the peaceful grounds of Dunham Massey, Greater Manchester, a 17th century house with a medieval deer park. The historical garden is filled with white magnolia blooms.

Meanwhile, at the country house of Hinton Ampner, near Alresford in Hampshire, there is a huge magnolia tree that reaches the top of the house, as well as a delightful magnolia walk. Later in spring, the orchard is full of snow-white and pink cherry blossoms. An Easter Egg Hunt also takes place from 1st to 16th April.

It would be a crime when you’re visiting Greenway, Agatha Christie’s beloved holiday home, near Brixham in Devon, not to see the magnificent pink and white magnolia blooms, as well as the magnolia tree that was planted here by her husband Max Mallowan.

The delicate beauty of cherry blossom, usually in April, is a must see.

At the Edwardian hillside garden of Emmets Garden, near Sevenoaks in Kent, there’s a wonderful display of cherry trees in the tulip meadow. The surrounding woodland has sweet and wild cherry blossom too. Later on, a sea of English native bluebells fills the woods here.

Dating from the 14th century, Greys Court, near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, has more  cherry trees than ever before in its cherry garden, which is open again after restoration and tree planting last year.

The Japanese Garden at Kingston Lacy near Wimborne Minster, Dorset, a lavish family home re-imagined as a Venetian palace, is awash with Japanese-inspired planting and cherry blossom.

In the walled garden at 17th century Wallington Hall, near Morpeth in Northumberland, there is a stunning show of several varieties of fragrant ornamental cherry blossom. An Easter Egg hunt takes place from 3rd to 14th April.

Hedgerow blossom, steeped in ancient folklore, is a magical spectacle. Viewing this can be combined with a long walk in the countryside to blow away the cobwebs.

Danbury Commons near Danbury, Essex, appears to be blanketed in snow at the start of spring with its clouds of blackthorn blossom, followed by hawthorn blossom in May.

Wicken Fen near Ely, Cambridgeshire, is the National Trust’s oldest nature reserve and England’s most famous fen, with clouds of white blackthorn blossom followed by hawthorn blossom.

Blackthorn is one of the first wild blossoms to appear on the chalk downland at Stockbridge Down in Hampshire, followed by hawthorn blossom. From the top of the Down you can enjoy beautiful views.

The National Trust’s research shows that more than half of orchards in England and Wales have been lost since 1900. Not only is it harmful to wildlife but blossom attracts pollinators, which are vital to our ecosystem. To combat this, the National Trust is planting new traditional orchards.

To appreciate their established orchards filled with fruit blossom, head to Bateman’s near Burwash in East Sussex, the Jacobean house that was home to Rudyard Kipling, where the orchard has been recreated as it was in his day with apple and pear blossom. The Pear Alley there brims with white pear blossom in April. Follow the Easter Trail from 1st to 16th April.

Saved from dereliction in the 1970s, late 17th century Erddig Hall, near Wrexham, has a 13.5 acre walled garden containing a variety of fruit blossom trained along the historic walls and throughout the orchard. More than 180 different varieties of apple are grown here and, in addition, there is the blossom of ornamental cherry, crab apple, pears, plums and medlars. An Easter Trail is held from 5th to 10th April.

Moseley Old Hall near Wolverhampton is an Elizabethan farmhouse with a fascinating history - King Charles II hid from Cromwell’s troops in the priest hole there. Its Heritage Orchard has varieties of heritage apples and pears that produce a beautiful display of blossom.

If you’re looking for somewhere to enjoy an idyllic picnic, try Rufford Old Hall, a beautiful Tudor house near Ormskirk in Lancashire, which has an orchard with apple and pear trees that are covered in blossom in April and May. In addition, two large pear trees have been trained to cover the Coach House wall in the courtyard.

At the world-renowned garden created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson in the 1930s at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook in Kent, you can enjoy the blossom from rows of cherry trees in the orchard and then marvel at more than 1,100 varieties of fruit trees creating a canopy of blossom. The Lime Walk looks its best in March when it is awash with spring bulbs. Easter Egg Hunts take place from 1st to 16th April.

There is plenty to see at The Vyne near Basingstoke in Hampshire, once an important Tudor palace with connections from Henry VIII to Jane Austen. It has an orchard that is filled with plum, pear and apple trees, while its walled garden has a large display of cherry tree blossom in late spring. You can also do a circular walk around Morgaston Woods, part of the estate and see bluebells.

And don’t miss the blossom at The Wimpole Estate near Royston in Cambridgeshire, which combines a 17th century mansion and a working estate, including a farm that is home to rare breeds. Its orchard has more than 300 fruit trees including apple, pear, apricot, quince, plum, greengage and medlar that flower with abundant blossom in April and May. Wimpole is also home to 85 different varieties of daffodil.

One of the highlights of late April and early May has to be a visit to a bluebell wood and the chance to see a carpet of these delicate flowers. About half of the world’s population are found in the UK.

Among the top places to see bluebells is Abermawr in Pembrokeshire. Take the mile-long circular walk from Abereiddi to Abermawr to enjoy them at their best.

Calke Abbey in Derbyshire is good example of a baroque-style mansion in decline with its peeling paintwork and abandoned rooms. The Serpentine Wood is covered in bluebell blooms, and there’s a 1,200 year old oak tree, the Old Man of Calke, to view. There is also an Easter Egg hunt from 1^st to 16^th April.

The bluebells in the ancient woodlands at Castle Coole in County Fermanagh, an 18^th century mansion, are prolific and were planted by the daughters of the 4^th Earl more than 100 years ago. There is an Easter trail between 7th and 14^th April.

At Castle Ward in County Down, this 18^th century  mansion with a mix of architecture has five miles of bluebell trails, and an Easter trail from 1^st to 17^th April.

The native English variety of bluebells abound at Clent Hills in Worcestershire where you can undertake bracing walks or cycle on the footpaths, bridleways and trails and enjoy panoramic views over the Cotswolds, Shropshire Hills and Welsh borders too.

The Bluebell Wood at Clumber Park near Worksop in Nottinghamshire is one of the best places to view and photograph bluebells. With 3,800 acres of parkland and gardens, peaceful woodlands and an 83 acre serpentine lake, there is plenty to explore and you can do it by bike too.

The 16^th century garden at Godolphin, near Helston in Cornwall, is one of the most important historic gardens in Europe. It is cloaked in bluebells in spring. You can also spend time exploring the Grade I listed medieval house.

Hardcastle Crags near Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire is a spectacular wooded valley with 19^th century cotton mill Gibson Mill at its heart, and its unspoilt woodland is filled with a wonderful display of bluebells in May.

And finally, Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge in Suffolk, an Anglo Saxon burial ground with a fascinating museum detailing the treasures of the royal ship burial discovered there. The woods at Sutton Hoo contain a carpet of Spanish bluebells. There is plenty to do to with an Easter trail also taking place from 1^st to 16^th April.