Western Morning News (Saturday)
Celebrate joys of spring on Blossom Watch day
THE National Trust is encouraging people to celebrate the fleeting seasonal spectacle of spring blossom today and share their images as part of its BlossomWatch Day.
The conservation charity, with Westcountry properties including Saltram at Plympton and Cotehele near Saltash, is encouraging people to take a moment in nature for their own wellbeing and enjoy ‘nature’s confetti’.
The relatively mild winter with little snow and a warm and dry March saw blossom emerge early in many areas around the country.
A sharp dip in temperatures at the end of March meant that delicate blossoms, such magnolia, were damaged by the frosty conditions. But with temperatures gradually getting back to a more seasonal norm, the charity hopes spring will be back on track, and is asking people to share pictures of blossom on social media today, April 23, using the hashtag #BlossomWatch.
Whether in parks, along the roadside, in their own gardens or in the countryside, the charity is encouraging people to record blossom by sharing their experiences and joy brought on by blossom, wherever they live.
Andy Jasper, head of gardens and parkland at the National Trust, said: “This is a particularly good year to enjoy blossom in our gardens. The lack of winter snow and gentle start to spring with the warm, dry and relatively settled March saw some varieties of cherry blooming early, and despite some sharp frosts in late March which affected magnolia in some parts of the country, we will hopefully see a longer season with much more blossom to enjoy.
“With many of our traditional apple orchards still to burst into bloom with their white and pink tinged blossoms, the weather conditions over the next few weeks and months are vital to ensure we get good crops this autumn. We need to hope for no late frosts, like many places experienced last year which had a major impact on the harvest, and also need the right combination of warm, dry weather for the pollinators to pollinate and ‘set’ the fruit – and then enough rain to help the fruit swell over the summer months.
“One way that gardeners can guard against later frosts is by selecting later blooming varieties. Some of our orchards have done just that. Cotehele in the South West have many different traditional varieties which bloom at different times which also ensures there is a longer blossom season to help the insects too.”
This year’s #BlossomWatch campaign, which officially launched on 24 March ,has already seen over 53,000 images shared across social media feeds, with posts across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
And, the campaign has already had over 5.5 million views on the charity’s own social media channels, from the beginning of March.
David Bouch, head gardener at Cotehele in Cornwall, said: “The weather has been challenging in the South West. The magnolias were in full bloom when we had a harsh frost which damaged their delicate petals. However thankfully we don’t think the frosts should have any impact on the apple or cherry blossom. The next few weeks are key. We need warmth so pollinators can do their thing.
“The good thing with our apple orchards is that we have a range of different varieties which flower at different times so that the blossom is in bloom for longer, which benefits all types of pollinators and insects.”
Chris Cooper, senior gardener at Kingston Lacy in Dorset, said: “Last winter we planted 100 cherry trees as part of the nationwide Sakura project and we’re so excited to see them in blossom in their first year with us, alongside our more mature cherry trees. There’s also camelia, rhododendron and magnolia in flower and the apple orchards will be coming into blossom the next few weeks. Always lots to enjoy at Kingston Lacy.”
To get involved and to share images of any blossom in bloom this #BlossomWatch day, simply share images using the hashtag #BlossomWatch.
This is a particularly good year to enjoy blossom in our gardens ANDY JASPER, NT