spring – Nicola Stocken

Trees for Every Season

Come deluges or drizzle, heatwaves or hoarfrosts, trees stand firm, a reassuring presence for generations to come.

With spectacular beauty, handsome foliage and drop-dead gorgeous forms, peonies are the most glamorous of flowers

Now in its 27th year, this Festival is hard to beat for the sheer brilliance of its massed plantings of 105 different varieties

Come early spring, nothing dispels memories of dreary wintry days as quickly as quirky containers of pretty little bulbs

Hyacinths are the stuff of legends, loved for their potent perfume and gorgeous flowerheads in vibrant shades

Come early May, and this restored Victorian Parterre is awash with thousands of tulips

A formal country garden designed by Rosemary Alexander, founder of the English Gardening School

This plantsman’s garden is a joy in spring, tulips, topiary and woodland filled with fritillaries are amongst the delights

Flowering spectacularly for weeks, kousa dogwoods are also prized for winter structure, fruits and handsome foliage

One of spring’s most beautiful sights, a profusion of fragrant, pea-like flowers

A garden based on circles and curves featuring large colourful beds of bulbs and grasses

A well designed child friendly garden for all the family, with trampoline and sandpit amongst colourful planting

A cottage Garden in Spring with rustic pergola, pond and National Geum Collection

A step-by-step guide to planting an Alpine hanging basket

A step-by-step guide to planting a pot for an April display

A step-by-step guide to planting a hanging basket for an April display

On a crisp April morning, this garden shines with the beauty of tulips, daffodils and new leaves

Hellebores, with their exquisite winter flowers and long flowering season, have enchanted generations of gardeners

Nothing heralds spring better than flowers, with many of the brightest thriving in pots for weeks on end

Spring in this traditional garden brings fresh foliage, blossom and the flowering of 2000 tulips

By April, this small London garden of borders, pots, woodland and parterre is full of tulips and spring flowers

High Beeches is a historic woodland garden where spring sees leaves unfurl on old trees and azaleas in flower