Out & About: The best local places to see spring blossom

The National Trust’s annual #Blossomwatch season has begun. Here are six of the best local places to see the blooms

Ickworth Estate
Lady Mary MacRae, the granddaughter of Ickworth’s creator, the 4th Marquess of Bristol, once remarked that walking through the blossomed trees in this Suffolk garden in spring was like “walking through lace”. Along with the formality of the Italianate Garden with its spring flowers and beautiful white magnolias and the wider parkland, where you’ll discover cherry blossom along Geraldine’s and Erskine’s Walk, you’ll also find a small selection of apple and pear trees blossoming in the historic orchard between April and early May (their exact peak of flowering depends on temperatures).

Anglesey Abbey
There are plenty of spaces to enjoy blossom at Anglesey Abbey. Clouds of delicate cherry blossom can be found in the Rose Garden by the house – both ornamental and wild varieties. The heritage orchard, planted in 2018 with 16 heritage varieties of plum, apple, pear and gages will come into blossom during April, surrounding an 80-year-old Bramley seedling apple tree. You can also see blossom in Monk’s Garden and the Pool Garden. A particular highlight is the pear tree on the side wall of the house as well as the golden rain trees in the gardens.
* The Festival of Blossom is the perfect opportunity to relax and unwind in nature and take in the beauty of the gardens at Anglesey Abbey. Why not join them for some blossom-inspired events during Blossom Week from 20 to 27 April this spring?

Houghton Mill
Blackthorn is among the first of the plants at Houghton Mill to blossom in the spring. Enjoy picturesque views of the millpond and historic watermill framed by bursts of this white blackthorn blossom. Then, as you continue your walk along Houghton Meadows, keep your eyes peeled for more colour, as early blooming wildflowers also start to make an appearance.

Peckover House & Garden
The garden at Peckover House is an oasis in the middle of Wisbech, where the earliest blossom can be found on the Cornelian cherry. The gnarled specimen, which is more than 100 years old, produces an abundance of small vibrant yellow flowers that can help lift the spirits in early spring, before the leaves begin to shoot. Quince, apple trees and espaliered pears also draw the eye at this time of year.

Wicken Fen
Blackthorn is one of the first shrubs in the countryside to burst into flower, with blossom appearing before its leaves in March. You can see these clouds of white in the hedgerows as you explore the wider reserve at Wicken Fen, along with hawthorn, alder and buckthorn, all of which provide food for bees and early insects.

Wimpole Estate
The orchard at Wimpole is a sea of blossom in the spring as the buds of more than 300 apple, medlar, quince, pear and plum trees burst into bloom between April and May. Spring blossom is part of the field-to-fork story, helping the gardeners to predict the apple harvest to come in autumn, used to produce Wimpole apple juice. The 56 varieties of apple trees can provide 4.5 tonnes of fruit for pressing, which produces around 6,000 litres of juice a year! Blossom then appears on the other fruit trees, beginning with apricot, plum and greengage and rounded off by the medlar and quince in late spring. Within the walled garden, espaliered fruit trees will also be in blossom, plus ornamental cherry trees with delicate pink flowers can be found across the Pleasure Grounds.