Celebrating Spring blossom with #BlossomWatch
One of the country’s leading conservation charities is launching a campaign to celebrate spring blossom by asking people to share their snaps of nature’s stunning displays with the hashtag of #BlossomWatch
The National Trust says it’s expecting a ‘Mexican wave’ of colour at its properties following a cold start to the year.
Recent cold temperatures, wind and snow have led to difficult conditions for flowering trees and hedgerows across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The charity says we shouldn’t have to wait long for nature to give us a vibrant and spectacular show of blossom.
‘A number of factors can influence the timing of the emergence of blossom, temperature being the principal one,’ says Andy Jasper, Head of Gardens and Parklands at the National Trust.
‘While we had a mild winter overall, the recent cold snaps have affected how quickly nature progresses, and we can see the effects of this across many of our gardens with blooms delayed.’
‘Luckily, snow doesn’t generally affect the blossom in the long run – it’s late frost that can really impact the display of blossom, fruiting and harvests.’
‘The cold snap has happened before the buds have tried to bloom in most cases, so we are still in line for a truly incredible show where the delayed blossom will burst forth in waves across the country like an amazing Mexican floral wave.’
‘I hope that when temperatures start rising again, the National Trust’s blossom campaign will play a part in encouraging everyone to take ten minutes to step outside and to really stop and look at the new life bustling all around us.’
South West: A haven for early blossom
Despite many blooms being on ‘pause’, gardens in the south-west appear to be bucking the trend, remaining a haven for early blossom. Cornish gardens, in particular, have been largely unaffected.
At Glendurgan Gardens, near Falmouth in Cornwall, the gardens’ famous magnolias are in full bloom, putting on a particularly spectacular show.
Alongside a camellia walk bursting with colour and flowering rhododendrons, they’re forming a spectacular mosaic of colour for visitors to enjoy.
But, even in Cornwall, the start of spring has seen a few isolated incidences of weather damage.
At Trengwainton Garden, known for its 50 varieties of gigantic magnolias, the recent strong winds have caused damage to one of its largest trees, Magnolia Campbellii.
Many of its’ delicate petals have dropped prematurely within its 102 year old walled garden.
‘We are very fortunate that the valley here at Glendurgan protects our magnolias from the worst of the winds,’ says Tom Cutter, Assistant Head Gardener for the National Trust at Glendurgan.
‘Others, like Trengwainton, who do not have valleys themselves have suffered the effects a lot more as the winds wrought havoc on their magnolias’ blossom.’
‘Thankfully, due to Cornwall’s unique microclimate, we haven’t been hit as badly by the recent cold snap and snow as the rest of the country has been.’
‘As a result, our visitors get to enjoy an utterly beautiful display of magnolias in our garden right now.’
Returning blossoming trees to our landscapes
As part of the blossom campaign, the National Trust will encourage the UK public to explore and enjoy blossom and share spring impressions on social media with the hashtag #BlossomWatch.
#Blossomwatch is part of a long-term campaign to return blossoming trees to our landscapes and create a UK equivalent of Japan’s ‘hanami.’
This is the popular, and traditional, custom whereby people of all generations get involved in enjoying the transient beauty of cherry blossom from March until May.
The conservation charity will also continue its work to bring blossom back to landscapes across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, by planting four million blossoming trees.
These will include several new traditional orchards which have recently been planted at Brockhampton in Herefordshire, Bateman’s in Surrey, Arlington Court in Devon and Carrick-a-Rede in County Antrim.
These tree plantings will help contribute to the charity’s commitment to establish 20 million trees by 2030 to help tackle both the climate and nature crises.
Throughout spring, the Trust’s Festival of Blossom will additionally take place at more than 100 locations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland with unique blossom-themed events and activities.
These include sessions with artists, picnics, games and special blossom walks to encourage visitors to explore and enjoy blossom.
