With spring upon us, the National Trust’s yearly celebration of blossom season is back, and we are here for it. #BlossomWatch aims to bring the beauty of blossom to more people and celebrate the start of spring.
Following the ancient Japanese tradition of ‘Hanami’, which literally translates to ‘flower viewing’, we’d encourage everyone to take a moment to enjoy the fleeting beauty of UK blossom and the sense of wellbeing it can bring.
We guarantee that a spring walk in nature and the joyful sight of blush-tinted blooms will lift your spirits.
Using #BlossomWatch, the National Trust asks people to share their blossom images on social media, with the hope that the joyful sight of blush-tinted blooms will lift spirits and help everyone to celebrate nature together.
Clouds of delicate pastel-coloured blossom can be enjoyed throughout spring, with fruit trees starting the season in March and April: apple, plum, pear and damson trees blooming with dainty white and pink flowers. The iconic rosé pink blossoms of cherry trees join in late April and closing the season with its creamy white flower is hawthorn, often known as the May-Tree.
Here’s where to see some of the most spectacular National Trust displays of blossom near you in Norfolk:
Sheringham Park
Perhaps the pièce de résistance in Springtime colour and one of our favourite places to visit… A colourful spectacle not to be missed this spring are the rhododendrons and azaleas at Sheringham Park. Rhododendrons are thought to have been present at Sheringham Park since the mid-19th century. The last remaining handkerchief tree in the park that was grown from the original seed brought back by plant collector Ernest Wilson from China, flowers in late April to early May and a nearby snowdrop tree keeps it company. The wild garden also contains 15 varieties of magnolia and the Pieris that grows here are believed to be some of the largest in the country – visit to see their delicate flowers in early spring.
Blickling Estate
Magnolias can now be found in almost all continents of the world because of their beauty. At Blickling Estate, you can enjoy the soft pinks and whites of the magnificent magnolia trees dotted around the West Garden from late March. Blackthorn and Hawthorn also create heavenly hedgerows, followed by the fruit and almond blossom in the orchard and walled garden. This year as part of the Festival of Blossom, a new exhibition, Bee for Blickling, opens in the House. Celebrating spring blossom and bees, the exhibition will shine a light on items in the collection that depict beautiful spring blooms, highlighting the important of bees in our countryside.
Click here for more details about visiting the Blickling Estate.
Felbrigg Hall
The walled garden at Felbrigg Hall is always a talking point with visitors and spring is a great time to visit. Home to ornamental cherry trees, which will be in bloom throughout spring, along with the trained fruit trees along the walls, the blossom starts with the apricots and peaches in March, followed by the plums and pears in April and the apples flowering in May. Most of the fruit trees in the garden are historic varieties, developed for storage over winter, so fresh fruit would be available for the household well into spring.
Discover more details: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/norfolk/felbrigg-hall-gardens-and-estate
Norfolk Coast & Broads
Although the Norfolk coast is not the most obvious place for blossom, between Morston and Stiffkey you’ll find blackthorn blossoming in hedgerows from March onwards. Swathes of hawthorn, known as the ‘May tree’ then comes into its own in you’ve guessed it, May, marking the point at which spring turns into summer. The month in which hedgerow blossom emerges, is a good way for telling hawthorn and blackthorn apart. At Horsey Windpump in the Norfolk Broads, the new mixed blossom hedgerow, planted in 2021 thanks to support from the People’s Postcode Lottery should be blooming. Measuring around 200ft in length, the hedgerow is a mix of common buckthorn, guelder, hawthorn and field maple.
At the end of the year a few years back, we took an after lunch family stroll, following the Horsey Beach and village circular walk.
A 3.6 mile circular walk that starts at Horsey Windpump car park (charge applies to non-NT members – has toilets) and takes you to Horsey Beach, famous for its seal colony, and then around Horsey village, this was very enjoyable. Points to watch are the muddy off-road terrain (it had rained a lot before our walk and was pretty boggy in places at the start of the walk) and a short section along the road towards the end.
However, we had lots of laughs en route, saw loads of gorgeous seals (at a distance, obviously) and treated ourselves to hot drinks and delicious cake from the Horsey Shop & Tea Room beside the Windpump at the end.
Find the full walk route and map here.
Oxburgh Estate
Within the orchard at Oxburgh Hall you’ll find fruit trees from around East Anglia, including heritage varieties from Norfolk. With the exception of a couple of older medlar and quince trees, the apple and pear trees are a recent addition, as we work to re-establish the orchard that once grew here. The best time to see these trees in blossom is late March through April, when the orchard is also surrounded by a wildflower meadow; the woodland walks also put on quite the show, in the form of hawthorn and blackthorn. Enjoy the blossom of 23 cherry trees, donated by the Japanese government as part of the Sakura Cherry Tree Project in the UK, and planted in 2022. In Japanese culture the cherry blossom represents both a new beginning and the fragility of life. Not only beautiful on the trees; the blossom creates a magical effect as it falls like snow to the ground.
Beyond the National Trust
You can also enjoy the annual ‘blossom bloom’ at locations around Norwich and Norfolk, a favourite of ours being Eaton Park in Norwich, which has a stunning display right now.
The University of East Anglia (UEA) estate also boasts some lovely blossom – especially around the Dutch Garden and Law School (Earlham Hall), which have Magnolia and Wisteria.
And speaking of Wisteria, this purple magic will be blooming soon. Following on from the fabulousness that is daffodils, magnolia and tulips, our eyes love seeing these purple flowers starting to come through. Check out St Giles Church, Heigham Park and Waterloo Park in Norwich for some stunning displays.
