Bright spring-flowering bulbs are a welcome sight after the cold, short days of winter. Lift your spirits with a visit to one of these RHS Partner Gardens, where spring treats await.
Exbury Gardens, Hampshire
The Daffodil Meadow at Exbury Gardens in Hampshire is a spectacular sight. The garden’s creator, the late Lionel de Rothschild, bought daffodils by the ton crate and new cultivars continue to be added to the meadow each year, many of them from Cornish growers. Follow one of several grass walkways cut through the meadow to arrive at the Beaulieu River where there are lovely views and walks to enjoy.
Alnwick Garden, Northumberland
The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland is home to a kaleidoscope of bulbs in every colour, shape and size. In the cherry orchard you can admire large drifts of spring-flowering bulbs, including daffodils ‘Jonquilla’ and ‘Tête-à-tête’, crocuses ‘Blue Pearl’ and ‘Barrs Purple’, Chionodoxa luciliae and Scilla siberica ‘Spring Beauty’. Some 180,000 Tulipa ‘Mistress’ have recently been planted to add carpets of bright pink to the scene. In the Ornamental Garden you will find dramatic displays of almost-black Tulipa ‘Queen of the Night’ and T. ‘White Triumphator’, as well as carpets of white and blue Anemone blanda.
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
& Ripley Castle, North Yorks
As spring advances, hyacinths begin to fill the air with their exquisite scent. Delight your senses with a visit to Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire, renowned for its displays of more than 4,000 hyacinths including Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Carnegie’ and H. orientalis ‘Blue Star’. Or, enjoy the National Plant Collection of H. orientalis at Ripley Castle Gardens in North Yorkshire. There are more than 1,000 hyacinths from 44 cultivars, creating a blaze of colour and scent in the walled garden.