The days are getting longer and the temperatures are getting more pleasant, so much so that you can finally have lunch or a snack ‘al fresco’ as they say here.
But above all in Spring the streets and parks fill up with incredible colours.
I think that the blooming of daffodils marks the official start of spring.
Daffodils are in fact the first flowers to bloom in London's parks, but not only: they can be admired in the well-kept flowerbeds scattered throughout the city, in the gardens of houses and also in the cemeteries adjacent to parish churches.
The narcissus is also the symbolic flower of St. David, patron saint of Wales, celebrated on March 1st when they are in full bloom.
The privileged place to admire them are all the Royal Parks, but St. James Park is undoubtedly the most scenic of them, with the Palace of Westminster and the London Eye as a backdrop to a sea of daffodils.
The Magnolia trees and the cherry blossom are two of the most beautiful blooms that color the city pink and white and that occur practically in the same period, even if with different duration.
The magnolia bloom, starting from mid-March, lasts only a couple of weeks before the petals begin to fall and perhaps the best places to admire magnolias in bloom in London are the streets that branch off from Notting Hill and between the districts of Kensington and Chelsea.
Cherry trees can also be admired in different areas of London, with the trees blooming in March or April depending on the variety.
Generally in the month of March it is possible to admire cherry trees in bloom in London always along the streets of Kensington and Chelsea, but especially in Battersea Park.
Daffodils
It is impossible not to mention Greenwich Park, where here too the cherry trees in bloom create a beautiful scenic effect making it one of the most popular places to celebrate the London version of hanami, and of course the wonderful Kew Gardens.
The best place to see tulips in London is, needless to say, the Dutch Garden.
Less famous than the nearby Japanese garden, the Dutch Garden is also located within Holland Park and is literally a riot of tulips.
The well-kept English and Italian Gardens, nestled in the most royal of Royal Parks, Regent’s Park, also offer a wonderful view, with flowerbeds full of tulips of different varieties and colors.
In the Westminster area, the Victoria Embankment Gardens are not to be missed, which stretch between Westminster Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge along the north bank of the river Thames.
Finally, it is a must to mention Hampton Court Palace, where the Tulip Festival is held every year in April, with over 100,000 bulbs of tulips planted for the occasion in the gardens of one of the most beautiful of the Historic Royal Palaces.
Among the parks where you can admire the wisteria bloom in London, Battersea Park undoubtedly stands out, where inside the Old English Garden there is a beautiful pergola covered with a cascade of wisteria.
Among the most beautiful blooms in England, bluebells generally appear between April and May.
These small flowers, similar to bellflowers, embellish deciduous woods, that is, those composed mainly of hardwood trees such as oaks, beeches, elms and limes.
Wisteria
Between May and June it is the turn of the rhododendrons to bloom.
Their colorful flowers adorn in particular the avenues surrounding Kenwood House, the jewel of Hampstead Heath but the place par excellence to admire rhododendrons in bloom in London is without a doubt Isabella Plantation, a woodland garden in the heart of Richmond Park, where in the same period magnificent azaleas also bloom, providing an enchanting view.
Can we talk about spring without mentioning the rose, the queen of flowers? Obviously not, and London is no exception, with its rose gardens scattered throughout various parks in the city.
The most spectacular is certainly Queen Mary’s Garden on the edge of Regent’s Park, where there are something like 12,000 roses of around 85 different varieties.
Even Hyde Park and Holland Park have their beautiful rose gardens, as does Greenwich Park.
The Columbia Road Flower Market is a colourful flower market that colours the east side of London every weekend.
Here you can find many varieties of cut flowers, but also indoor and garden plants, as well as pots of aromatic herbs, all surrounded by cute independent cafes where you can take a break and small shops loved by Londoners and relatively authentic.
