Do you know your damson from your blackthorn? Blossom comes in many shapes, sizes and colours, and telling them apart can be challenging. Find out how to spot different types of blossom in your local area with this blossom-spotting guide.
Apple blossom is one of the easiest to spot, as it’s white with a hint of pink and a sweet fragrance. Appearing from March to April, it grows in hedgerows, gardens, orchards and scrubland. The leaves appear a few weeks before the flowers emerge.
Blackthorn bursts into flower in February and March with white blossom appearing before the leaves. The petals are oval and long stamens tumble out from the centre. You can find it in hedgerows and scrub.
Look out for ornamental cherry trees in gardens and parks and wild cherry blossom around woodlands throughout March and April. They flower in shades of pink or white, sometimes with dense, frilly petals and sometimes with a single layer of petals. These subtly scented flowers appear before the leaves, hanging in umbrella-shaped clusters.
Damson trees are small and hardy with dark green, oval shaped leaves with a lightly serrated edge. They blossom with small white oval-shaped petals in early April. You can often find it in mixed woodlands, hedgerows, parks, gardens and along pavements.
The highly scented hawthorn flowers from late April and into May, so it’s also known as the mayflower. You can often find it in hedgerows, on the edges of woodlands and in scrubland. Identify it by its small rounded white petals in groups of five around bright pink anthers.
The delicate white flowers of pear trees emerge from green buds in March or April, and some varieties grow in gardens, orchards and along the streets. Look out for dense clusters of white flowers with five petals and red anthers.
You can see plum trees in gardens and orchards, as well as near hedges and areas of scrubland where plum stones may have been dropped. Keep an eye out for small, rounded clusters of fragrant white flowers blooming on dark branches around March and April.
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We’d love to see the blossom you find near you. Tag your posts with #BlossomWatch on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok to spread the joy of blossom.
Trees and plants
We care for 25,000 hectares (61,776 acres) of woodland, 135 wild landscape sites and more than 200 gardens, and have as many wonderful stories to tell.
Explore the best places in our care to see magnolias this spring. Revel in the colours of the season with these blooms in shades of pink, purple and white.
Make the most of your garden or growing space this spring with tips and advice from our gardeners. Find out about pruning shrubs, preparing flower borders, planting early vegetables and choosing the best blossom trees.
Try our step-by-step blossom origami tutorial in this easy spring-inspired craft. Make flowers in different sizes and colours to decorate your home or give to friends and family.
Listen to the first episode of series seven, where we celebrate the beauty of blossom. Hear the story of how a Victorian and a potato saved Japan’s lost blooms and learn about a coastal blossom community project in Plymouth.
