GREAT BRITISH DAYS OUT
1 REGENT ’S PARK London
While the capital can be busy and crowded, it packs a green punch as Europe’s most verdant city. More than 3,000 parks and open spaces showcase spring’s colour. Regent’s Park is especially vibrant, with Avenue Gardens and Chester Road displaying a riot of blossom. The latter is lined with 100 Prunus ‘Sunset Boulevard’ trees. Later in the season, petals fall like a flurry of snow, adding an element of romance to a walk in the park. royalparks.org.uk
countryliving.com/uk APRIL 2024 33
2 SHERINGHAM PARK Norfolk
Flamboyant rhododendrons and azaleas fill Sheringham Park’s Wild Garden with colour as more than 80 species can-can their floral skirts in the breeze. Against the stately oaks, these woody plants splash garish hues of red, pink, yellow and orange, peaking in mid-June. Sheringham’s earliest rhododendrons were established in 1850 by Ernest Wilson and now form an important collection in the Wild Garden. Enjoy his legacy by climbing one of the viewing platforms offering a panorama of colour below. nationaltrust.org.uk
3 KEW GARDENS Richmond
Japanese cherry blossoms are spring’s star turn at Kew Gardens, lining the Cherry Walk behind the Palm House and Asano Avenue near the Temperate House. Yet they’re not the only fruit trees frothing with flowers here this month. Wander off the sakura trail – the Japanese word for the annual blossom viewing and celebration of beauty and impermanence – to spot dark splashes of the crab apple tree Malus hupehenis or the Hupeh crab. Its dense hot-pink flowers offer a striking contrast to the spray of whites and light pinks elsewhere. kew.org
4 BUTE PARK Cardiff
Bute Park, overlooked by Cardiff Castle and the River Taff, is the city’s largest green space and home to some of Wales’s most spectacular magnolia trees. These mid-sized ornamental boughs are laden with pale pink and creamy white petal goblets that unfurl around now into luxurious star-shaped blooms. Wander along paths lined by branches hung with floral confetti, taking in lungfuls of lemony vanilla scent, or follow the Family Tree Trail from the Education Centre to see 14 of the park’s most beautiful signature trees, including Campbell’s magnolia. bute-park.com
5 WALLINGTON Northumberland
It takes the gardening team two weeks to plant tens of thousands of crocus bulbs in the walled garden here, resulting in a shock of violet flowers as popular with industrious bees seeking pollen as visitors looking for a stunning view. Enjoy spring’s arrivals from the front-row benches by the conservatory with a cup of tea and cake from the Clocktower Café, then explore the woodlands or ride along the cycle trail. nationaltrust.org.uk
