A Journey Through Spring at Worton Park

Spring... the month where the park finally wakes up from a cold and dark winter.

One thing we love about a New Year is the journey the park goes through, each month delivering something different. In February, snowdrops cover the countryside, followed by daffodils in March. In April, we start to see shades of blue, particularly bluebells, followed by reds, oranges and purples in May!

March:

The first sign of spring at the park is the hundreds of daffodils blooming across the grounds, carpeting the landscape in vibrant yellow. Each year, the park team plants countless new bulbs, as the squirrels have a habit of digging them up over winter. The driveway in particular becomes a breathtaking sea of gold.

The Farmhouse garden is another gem, with daffodils lining the path from the pagoda all the way to the door of the house.

But the true highlight of The Farmhouse garden is undoubtedly the magnificent cherry blossom tree at the bottom of the garden, tucked behind the pagoda. This particular variety is a Tai-Haku cherry tree, meaning “Great White”, and has a fascinating history connecting Britain and Japan.

Once hugely celebrated in Japanese gardens, the Tai-Haku was eventually overshadowed by more dominant varieties and was thought to have disappeared entirely.

That was until 1932, when British horticulturist Collingwood Ingram rediscovered a surviving specimen in a garden in Sussex. He carefully propagated the tree and sent cuttings halfway around the world, helping to reintroduce this once nationally revered blossom back to Japan.

Back at Worton Park, it’s always beautiful to watch the tree come to life throughout spring. Starting from pink buds, to white blossoms, and then bronze leaves. Especially seeing it on sunny Spring days, overhanging the pond or at Worton Hall wedding ceremonies in the garden.

April:

Blossom leads to leaves. After a long wait in Autumn, it can be surprising how quickly new leaves appear and grow. It’s a sudden, but welcome change as the park is lit up in green! Driving into the park, through the entrance road, is definitely our main highlight! The woodland is also absolutely stunning once the leaves come out.

2nd April

17th April

8th April

1st May

And that’s without mentioning our gorgeous properties and their surroundings in Thrupp and Woodstock.

April blooms bring shades of blue, particularly in forget-me-nots, bluebells, alliums and lilac. And who can forget about tulips!

May:

By May, the park is exploding with colour. March and April often bring yellows, whites, pinks and blues, and May adds to the palette with reds, oranges and purples. Particularly in Roses, Iris’, Wisteria, Foxgloves, and Wallflowers.

Another detail we particularly love is the wildflowers covering our meadows around the park!

May also marks the start of our holiday season, with the swimming pool and tennis court traditionally reopening at the start of the month for our holiday cottage guests and park tenants.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this season as much as us and are looking forward to Summer! But if you’re still reminiscing, then you can check out our full Spring gallery day by day below. Enjoy!