One of the most famous pieces of poetry in the English language, Wordsworth’s Daffodils, is firmly linked both to springtime and to the north of England. Daffodils are among the heralds of spring, but they aren’t alone and spring colour is abundant across the country for those who know where to look. Below is just a selection of spring gardens open to the public in the north of England.
Spring Colour at Belsay Hall, Northumberland
Just ten miles from the A1 at Morpeth, the gardens at Belsay Hall are reputedly among the most picturesque in Britain. The winter garden provides early colour with its spring flowering heathers and bright mahonias, while the meadow is covered with the brightness of spring bulbs. The two acre rhododendron garden can be seen from the terrace of the Hall: its range of different species lends the garden colour from November to the summer.
Belsay is a historic garden and has a Grade 1 listing with English Heritage (which has charge of the property). Open all year from 10-5 between April and September and from 10-4 (or dusk) at otehr times, he gardens surround a 14th century castle and 17th century manor house. Adult admission to the house and gardens costs £6.40. Facilities include shop, lunches and teas and plant sales.
Rhododendrons at Muncaster Castle
Beyond the Lake District in west Cumbria, Muncaster Castle gardens benefit from the mild climate of the west coast to offer an extravagant feast of spring colour. Although there are camellias and magnolias, not to mention a bluebell wood, the real beauty of Muncaster is its collection of rhododendrons. Many are rare and many others have been grown from seed: together they make a blazing display in May.
Muncaster offers more than just the gardens: a ticket to include both gardens and the Owl Centre costs £8.50 while an additional £2.50 admits the visitor to the castle. The attraction is open daily except January, from 11am until 6pm (end of March to December), closing at 4pm or dusk the rest of the year. There are eating facilities, a shop, plant sales and regular events including a ‘feast of flowers’ at the end of April.
Rhododendrons at the Himalayan Garden, Yorkshire
As its name suggests, the Himalayan Garden specialises in plants native to the Himalayan region of India, China and Tibet. The garden itself is located in a sheltered valley crammed with thousands of plants, many of them grown from seed, and boasts over 700 different species of rhododendron with many azaleas, magnolias and others, and is dotted with pieces of sculpture.
As might be expected of a true spring garden, the Himalayan Garden (just outside Ripon in the Yorkshire Dales) is open only from the end of April to mid-June, although visits may be made by appointment at other times and it is also open on Bank Holiday Mondays. Opening hours are 10-4 and adult admission is £5.00. Teas are available and there are plant sales in the adjacent nursery, which is open all year.
Rhododendrons, Magnolias and Camellias at Wentworth Castle, Yorkshire
The gardens at Wentworth, near Barnsley, are the only Grade 1 English Heritage listed gardens in South Yorkshire: but it’s the plants which make the place so special in spring. Wentworth’s treasures include an azalea garden, a woodland wilderness, and a pleasure parden with over 100,000 bulbs. In April and May the garden is bright with rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas – for all of which it holds national collections.
The gardens are open all year, from 10-5 April-September and 10-4 October to March. Adult admission costs £4.75 and admission to the surrounding parkland is free. There is a shop (though no plant sales) and refreshments are available, including teas and light lunches. A new feature for 2010 is the children’s adventure playground.
Wordsworth and Daffodils
Not strictly a garden, perhaps – but in spring the Lake District is full of the daffodils which inspired the poet’s most famous verse. Wordsworth lived at three separate addresses in Cumbria and all are open to the public (though his Cockermouth home is currently closed for refurbishment following flooding):
- In spring the garden at Dove Cottage has daffodils, along with yellow celandines – supposedly the flowers he preferred
- At Rydal Mount the visitor will find Dora’s Field, a mass of daffodils which Wordsworth himself is said to have planted
- The original field of daffodils about which he wrote is said to be on the shores of Ullswater.
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