Beautiful blossom in the East of England

Blackthorn is one of the first shrubs 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 Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire. Then in May, hawthorn comes into flower at the same time as its leaves open, providing food for the caterpillars of moths and nectar for bees.

Although the coast is not the most obvious place for blossom, between Morston and Stiffkey blackthorn blossoms from March onwards. Swathes of hawthorn, known as the ‘May tree’ then comes into its own during May, marking the point at which spring turns into summer. The month in which the blossom emerges, is a good way for telling hawthorn and blackthorn apart.

In spring our native trees and shrubs are exploding into life with blossom in the Essex countryside. The tiny white blossom of blackthorn makes the countryside look like its blanketed in snow at the start of spring. Then in May we see the arrival of hawthorn. Did you know that hawthorn is a pagan symbol of fertility and has ancient associations with May Day?

The ornamental cherries produce a spectacular display of colour and smell in the formal gardens at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire during March and April. The newly planted orchard, although relatively young, will see blossom on 16 heritage varieties of apples, pears, gages and plums that have been planted around an 80-year-old Bramley seedling apple tree come the spring.

From the formality of the Italianate Garden with its spring flowers and beautiful white magnolias to the wider parkland where you’ll discover cherry blossom in the Albana Wood. Lady Mary MacRae, the grand-daughter 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”.

Peckover is an oasis in the middle of Wisbech, where our earliest blossom can be found on the Cornelian cherry. The knarled specimen, which is over 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 espalier pears also draw the eye.

Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is planted in the shape of a medieval cathedral, with walls comprised of different species of tree. Created after the First World War in the spirit of ‘faith, hope and reconciliation’ the cathedral has chapels for each of the four seasons. The Easter Chapel with its cherry trees is the focal point in spring.

Within the orchard at Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk 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 orchard at Wimpole in Cambridgeshire contains in excess of 300 fruit trees including apple, pear, apricot, plum, greengage, medlar and quince, which in total provide 4.5 tonnes of fruit for pressing. Wimpole’s Walled Garden was innovatively designed to heat the red brick walls, producing enough warmth that fruit would flourish. Today, the blossom arrives in abundance during April and May, and thanks to pollinators, our 56 varieties of apple trees produce 6000 litres of juice a year.

Shaw’s Corner in Hertfordshire is a special place all year round, but in spring the orchard of apples, pears and plums in blossom, underplanted with swathes of spring bulbs creates an overwhelming feeling of optimism. Take time to admire the magnificent cherry blossom which lights up the north lawn in April, with its delicate pink shades.

The Walled Garden at Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk is home to ornamental cherry trees which will be in bloom throughout spring, along with the trained fruit trees along the walls, starting 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.

Noted for its spectacular floral display within the garden of Melford Hall in Suffolk, is a Judas tree, which is also known as a love tree. These small trees with heart-shaped leaves have clusters of bright cerise pink blossom that open before or with the leaves and create a dazzling display of colour from late April, into May.

Rhododendrons are thought to have been present at Sheringham Park in Norfolk 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 nearby two snowdrop trees keep 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.