Get ready to enjoy the blossom

THERE can be little doubt that spring is on its way – the warm sunshine over the past week has been much welcomed.

And with the sunshine comes the promise of growth.

Trees are starting bud, and it won’t be long before they are in full bloom.

To celebrate, the National Trust is inviting people to take a moment to pause, actively notice and enjoy the fleeting beauty of blossom.

Using #BlossomWatch the National Trust is asking people to share their blossom images on social media, with the hope that the joyful sight of blush-tinted blooms will lift spirits and enable everyone to celebrate nature together.

For those inspired to plant a blossom tree of their own, the National Trust has also compiled a list of top five blossom trees suitable for home gardens, recommended by Head Gardeners.

The National Trust looks after thousands of heritage fruit trees and ornamental cherry trees at National Trust gardens in Bucks, Berks and Oxon. Many of these can be found in traditional orchard settings.

More than 90% of Britain's heritage orchards have been lost, but the National Trust now protects more than 25 in the South East alone. They provide a lifeline for insects including pollinating bees and butterflies, and are an uplifting spectacle in spring, and in autumn when they are bursting with fruit.

Our nearest National Trust property is Greys Court, where the cobbled paths were specially designed to retain a carpet of delicate petals and prevent the cherry blossom from being immediately trampled underfoot.

There are small flowering fruit trees dotted all around the walled gardens, but it’s the crab apple arch, flowering in May, that puts on a real show. It’s been trained over hoops and entwined with clematis to create a scented flowery tunnel.

Not strictly blossom, but equally enchanting is Greys Court’s wisteria ‘room’ in the walled garden. Planted in the 1890s, it flowers abundantly each May.

Emma McNamara, National Trust Gardens and Parks Consultant for the South East and Northern Ireland: “Blossom is fleeting but so beautiful that you’ll find planting your own tree hugely rewarding.

“A blossom tree gives you two seasonal delights: bright, blowsy, or delicate flowers in the spring, and later, home-grown fruits. Most fruit trees are easy to maintain; you may need to take action against some pests and diseases, but these trees are resilient and long-lived. Bees will be delighted by the flowers and will help to pollinate, leading to autumn fruit.

“Blossom trees come in all sizes, and whatever sized outdoor space you have, there is a blossom tree that will suit. Prunus incisa 'Kojono-mai' is a very small Fuji cherry tree with zig-zagging branches and masses of flowers - perfect for growing in pots. As winter ends in early March, 'Kojo-no-mai' bursts into an abundance of blossom.”

Top of the blossom

Malus baccata var. mandshurica (Manchurian Siberian crab apple)

Requiring only basic tree husbandry with little or no pruning, this fully hardy tree, native to eastern Asia, is perfect for all garden lovers. It can also be used in orchards as a pollinator tree.

-Jamie Leslie, Senior Gardener, Ightham Mote, Kent

Pyrus communis (pear cultivars)

Created by Rudyard Kipling, Pear Alley provides one of the best views towards the house.

The espalier pear trees are trained along the metal structure to show off the fruits to their best advantage. These varieties produce good crops. A further restoration of Pear Alley is planned this autumn.

-Len Bernamont, Garden & Outdoors Manager, Bateman’s

Prunus 'Kanzan' (cherry ‘Kanzan')

There is a reason why this is one of the most popular doubleflowering cherry trees. In March/ April it has floriferous double pink flowers, followed by lovely bronze leaves turning green in summer. Once autumn is here the foliage develops a coppery orange colour before falling.

-Anthony Mason, Head Gardener, Cliveden, Berkshire

Cercis siliquastrum (Judas tree)

I really look forward to this flowering in May – unusually, the deep pink blossoms erupt straight from the main stem and branches which gives added ‘wow’ factor. These are followed by pea-like fruits which are most obvious in late summer/early autumn. It’s a reliable performer and not a shy flowerer. - Neil Cook, Head Gardener, Hanbury Hall, Worcestershire

Malus domestica ‘Discovery’ (apple ‘Discovery’)

This early dessert apple, a cross between ‘Worcester Pearmain’ and (possibly) ‘Beauty of Bath’, is as beautiful as it is delicious, producing pure white, cup-shaped blossoms from around the end of April.

Be mindful of the rootstock it is grown on as this will dictate its eventual size (good fruit growing nurseries can advise).

-Vicky Cody, Senior Gardener, Snowshill Manor and Garden, Gloucestershire

To find out more log on to: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/ blossom-watch.