Temperatures are likely to fluctuate for the next month or so, with some frost still to come, and many parts of the UK will remain wet, but the days will be increasingly lighter and the National Trust, which launches its annual Blossom Campaign today, is urging Britons to get outdoors and enjoy the colour while they can after a miserable start to the year. A recent YouGov poll revealed that more than half of adults pay a lot of attention to seasonal changes such as blossom or autumn colour, and that the majority feel happy when seeing it on trees or in hedgerows. Annie Reilly, Blossom Programme Manager at the National Trust said: “The joyful sight of blossom after such a grey, cold and stormy start to the year is a real mood lifter. And it’s well known that spending time in nature can boost your wellbeing.
“With the season only lasting a few weeks – it’s really important to enjoy it while we can. Our simple ask is for people to take a break to explore their streets or nearest green space for signs of blossom – and if they have nearby green spaces or parks close to where they work – maybe try sitting under blossoming trees to get a lift from nature.” Head of Gardens and Parks at the charity, Sheila Das added: “The warm period with high temperatures nudging 20 degrees Celsius a fortnight ago certainly pushed things on with buds starting to emerge on early flowering cherry and pear trees in our gardens and blackthorn popping out excitedly in hedgerows.”
The majority of blossoming trees burst into flower before the leaves unfurl which is why they are so noticeable – even more so after the long, grey winter. After the native blackthorn bursts forth, cherry plum trees in whites and pinks will for many be the first signs of spring blooming in our streets, gardens and parks.
Alan Power, National Trust Gardens & Parks Manager for the south west, said: “As with the onset of spring every year across the southwest we are at the mercy of the changing temperatures constantly, so there’s always a sense of angst particularly around seeing our ornamental plants like the magnolias coming out and testing the weather.
“It does seem that spring flowering is a little later this year. The grey and colder winter plus a dry period has delayed the flowering based on the mild wet winters we have been experiencing.”
Over the winter, the Trust’s ranger and countryside teams have been busy planting new blossom trees to create vital habitats to benefit wildlife and people in the future. These include new traditional orchards at Killerton in Devon, planting a ‘lost’ orchard at Lytes Cary in Somerset and planting more than 4,000 blossoming trees to help create new hedgerows in the north and west Lakes.