Spring is making its mark on some beautiful gardens in the Blackmore Vale. Now’s the time to visit to enjoy brilliant bulbs in their prime.

Snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils are putting green shoots above ground, and their colourful flowers brighten up March’s lengthening days. The humble snowdrop has been the favourite flower of National Trust visitors for many years, with over 72 per cent of people looking forwarding to spotting them in their local National Trust Garden.

Kingston Lacy (near Wimborne) is famous for its snowdrop display. The snowdrop walk stretches through the 40-acre garden for one and a half miles. Even without the cold weather needed to encourage the snowdrops to bloom the team are starting to see a good display.
Nestled between the sleeping tree ferns in the Victorian fernery, the bright white flowers carpet the beds around the twisty paths. The fernery is home to over 35 different varieties, some with fun names like ‘Ding Dong’ and ‘Heffalump’. You’ll spot more if you continue further down the iconic Lime Avenue and on to Lady’s Walk, where Henrietta Bankes, a passionate horticulturalist, first had her gardener plant snowdrops in the early 1900s.

At Stourhead (near Mere) brilliant white snowdrops can be found around the lake. As you follow the winding paths through this world-famous gardens, you can clearly see the lay of the land because its many shrubs lie dormant until later in spring.
Please check the National Trust website www.nationaltrust.org.uk before visiting; opening times may differ from place to place.