The first signs of spring flowers in London are a welcome sight after the grey, dreary days of winter. Seeing the vibrant colours and beautiful flower displays in the parks and gardens of London is definitely a highlight of springtime in the city. In this post, I’ll be sharing the best places to see spring flowers in London.
From March, the parks and gardens in London come to life with vibrant crocuses and daffodils. Depending on the weather, we start to see cherry blossoms in London in bloom in April, along with magnolia and tulips. Starting in late April or early May, azaleas, rhododendrons and bluebells are in bloom in some of the parks and gardens in London.
It’s a beautiful time of year to start looking forward to warmer weather and days spent exploring the outdoors and picnicking at the parks. Here’s a list of our favourite places to see the spring flowers in London, along with tips to help plan a day out whether you live locally or are visiting on holiday.
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens is a pleasure to visit year round and one of the best places to see spring flowers in London. There are over 300 acres to explore, with highlights including the Children’s Garden, Palm House, Princess of Wales Conservatory and the Natural Area.
There are a number of spots to see the beautiful cherry blossoms at Kew Gardens, including the Cherry Walk between the Palm House and Temperate House, the Japanese Garden near the Pagoda and this spot by the Palm House pond.
In late winter and early spring, look out for the snowdrops along the Woodland Walk in the Natural Area. You will start to see carpets of crocuses and daffodils around the gardens. In March and April, visit the Magnolia Grove for a spectacular display of magnolia trees in bloom.
Kew Gardens is also one of the best places in London to see bluebell woods in April and early May. Head to the Natural Area to see the bluebell woods by Queen Charlotte’s Cottage. The Natural Area is also a fantastic spot for picnics and outdoor fun with a log trail to explore.
Interesting fact: Part of the bluebell woods at Kew Gardens is over 300 years old
Another highlight during spring at Kew is seeing the colourful rhododendrons in bloom at the Rhododendron Dell. Sir Joseph Hooker brought back many new specimens of rhododendron from his travels to the Himalaya in the mid-19th century, and several were planted here, including some unique hybrids not found elsewhere in the world.
I visit regularly and post photos of Kew Gardens on my Instagram page. For the more of photos and spring at Kew updates, you can also have a look through my Kew Gardens Instagram highlights.
2021 Update: All visitors, including members, need to book a time slot in advance on the Kew Gardens website. You can also add a free time slot for the Children’s Garden when booking your ticket / time slot. Check the “What’s On” page on Kew Gardens’s website for the latest walks, activities and exhibitions running to help plan your visit.
Read more about our previous visits to Kew Gardens through the seasons: Spring at Kew Gardens, Wandering around Kew Gardens; Autumn Foliage at Kew Gardens
St James’s Park
Daffodils are one of the first signs of spring and usually from early March, you can start to see the spring flowers in London parks. St James’s Park receives the majority of bulbs planted by the Royal Parks, and when in bloom, its thousands of daffodils create a vibrant display of yellow.
Tip: If you’re visiting with children, there’s a playground located across the Wellington Barracks with a large sand pit, play equipment and a climbing area with a slide.
Read more about one of our springtime visits to St James’s Park and Buckingham Palace: Spring Flowers at St James’s Park
St. James’s Park is also a beautiful place to see cherry blossoms. In the photo below, you can just about see the Blue Bridge which offers stunning views across the lake, of Buckingham Palace on one side and of the London Eye and Horse Guards Parade on the order.
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Buckingham Palace
One of the best places to see tulips and other flower displays during spring in London is at Buckingham Palace. During this visit, around 28,000 tulips were planted in the Memorial Gardens – a riot of colour that was stunning to see when I visited on a sunny day in April.
Read more about one of our springtime visits to St James’s Park and Buckingham Palace: Spring Flowers at St James’s Park
Ravenscourt Park
One of the best places to see cherry blossoms in London is Ravenscourt Park located in Hammersmith. If you’re visiting with children, there are two great playgrounds here – an adventure playground which is right next to where you’ll see the cherry blossoms, and at the other side of the park, a toddler playground with a paddling pool during the summer.
Hampton Court Palace
In 2021, Hampton Court Palace held its inaugural Tulip Festival with stunning displays of over 100,000 tulips across the palace gardens. The tulip displays were absolutely beautiful! The festival finished on 3 May and I would definitely recommend keeping an eye out for next year’s event.
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I also created an Instagram reel showing the various tulip displays around the gardens. My favourite spot was at the Kitchen Garden where there were rows upon rows of vibrant tulips of all colours.
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Hampton Court Palace is also one of the best places in London to see wisteria. At the back of the Palace Gardens, near the Great Vine (which is the longest grapevine in the world), you’ll find a wall covered in a spectacular wisteria that was planted in around 1840.
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Richmond Park
I found visiting the Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park when its azaleas and rhododendrons are in full bloom (around late April to early May) one of the most gorgeous experiences to see spring flowers in London. The woodland garden bursts with color, these beautiful shades of pink and red.
I use the location tag on Instagram to check the most recent photos of Isabella Plantation, since the window to see this beautiful woodland in garden in full bloom is fairly short. Read more tips about visiting and see the latest spring 2021 photos in my Isabella Plantation Richmond Park post.
Chiswick House & Gardens
The annual Camellia Flower Show at Chiswick House features 33 different displays of camellias at its conservatory. It’s one of the oldest collections in Britain with many of the camellias descended from the original planting in 1828.
The conservatory at Chiswick House is also a wonderful spot to see wisteria in May.
In April and May, head to the woodland area of Chiswick House to see the beautiful rhododendrons in bloom.
Kensington Gardens
On the Lancaster Gate side of Kensington Gardens, and near the Italian Gardens, there are is a grove of blossom trees and at least one magnolia tree which are beautiful to see when they’re in bloom. I wrote about a post about our day out in Kensington Gardens, which included a stop at one of our favorite places – the Princess Diana Memorial Playground.
You’ll also find several pink blossoming trees near the Albert Memorial on the East Albert Lawn.
Hyde Park
And across the Serpentine, close to the Knightsbridge side of Hyde Park, there’s this beautiful, tranquil spot with a magnolia tree.
Fuller’s Brewery, Chiswick
One of the best places to see wisteria in London is at Fuller’s Griffin Brewery in Chiswick. This magnificent wisteria covers a huge wall and it is also the oldest wisteria in England, brought here from China in 1816. Note that because this is a working place where trucks are coming in and out making deliveries, it is not permitted to show up and take photos during the week. You are welcome to come see the wisteria when the brewery is closed during the weekend.
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Regent’s Park
Another popular spot for spring flowers is Regent’s Park, where you’ll find beautiful displays of tulips (Avenue Gardens) and cherry blossom trees (Chester Road). It’s the perfect place for a picnic, a stroll through its gardens, a visit to one of its four playgrounds or its outdoor sports area – the largest in London.
Tip: The fab Marylebone Green playground is located within Regent’s Park and features a natural trail and climbing area, tall slide and huge sandpit.
This post was updated on 15 May 2021 with the latest information and tips for the upcoming spring season.
Where’s your favorite place to experience spring in London or anywhere else in the world?
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Justin
March 27, 2018 at 7:46 amSpring season always one of my favorite and always be on top . Reason you already explained why. Nature starts exploring its beauty around the world in spring. Parks and gardens start attracting the children. Awesome moment.
Diego Watson
April 19, 2018 at 8:13 amMagnificent post.Thanks for the post.I would love to visit here with my girl friend.Its actually so romantic.Thanks for sharing.