While
many American friends and family members are still buried under snow, I’ve been
spending my days off in London
searching for spring.
Hope you enjoyed today's early spring photo journey from in and around London!
Cheers,
Joy
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Not
to rub it in, but we’ve had a fairly mild February, except for some chilly
mornings, so I’ve been wandering through gardens in the city and outlying areas.
One of the first signs of spring are the dainty white snowdrops, which usually
bloom from January to March. I’ve also spotted purple crocuses as well as sunny
yellow daffodils and narcissus as well as camellias and even magnolias.
Did
you know that there are 23 species of snowdrops (Galanthus sp.) as well as more
than 3,000 recognized cultivars? Although snowdrops are not native to the
U.K., they are plentiful and were first introduced from mainland Europe in the
early 16th century.
Battersea Park
During
the first week of February on my morning jog, I stopped in my tracks when I saw
some pretty blooms near one of the ponds in my favorite neighborhood park – Battersea Park. The park features a lot
of green space and a couple of more formal gardens while the spring bulbs seem
scattered through the park’s wooded areas.
Chelsea Physic Garden
Despite
living so close to the Chelsea Physic Garden, I had never been to London’s oldest
botanic garden until recently. The garden, which has bizarre opening hours, has
a nice collection of snowdrops. You can see the little white flowers
by taking a walk through the half-acre grounds, which are home to more than 150
species of plants.
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens
This
famous botanical garden is the obvious place to get your snowdrop fix — almost
all of the 20 known varieties can be seen here. You'll find most of Kew Garden’s snowdrop collection in the
Rock Garden and the Alpine House in the north-east corner of the gardens as
well as a wooded foothpath in the northwest corner. Again, don’t go here on a
nice weekend during a school break.
Myddelton House Gardens
After
nearly 90 minutes on public transport, I finally reached the overground train
stop to access Myddelton House Gardens
in North London. The long journey was worth the wait because these gardens are
like a fairytale! Plus, the admission is free! (A donation is suggested, and I
was happy to give a couple coins because this place is magical.)
Also,
the gardens feature a small, but wonderful café with hearty soups and
delicious-looking cakes. I had a generous serving of potato-leek soup with a
brown bread roll and butter for less than £5.
Myddelton
House, built during the reign of George III in 1812 by the Bowles family, is a
lovely former manor house estate with sprawling gardens and a greenhouse. One
of the Bowles ancestors, E. A. Bowles, born in 1865, became one of the great
gardeners of the 20th century. What you see today are the restored gardens and manor house from his era.
Capel Manor College Gardens
From
Myddelton Gardens, it’s only a 10-minute walk to another nearby garden called
the Capel Manor College Gardens. The
college is housed on a working estate where students can gain hands-on
experience in land-based studies such as horticulture, garden design,
floristry, etc.
The
history of Capel Manor dates to the late 13th century, but was only
owned by the Capel family during the 14th century; and later, the
land was surrendered to the Crown during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
There’s a complex history here and you’ll find recreated ruins of the old manor
house in the college gardens.
Honestly,
the gardens here were a bit barren in mid-February with a few spring bulbs like
snowdrops and crocus here and there. From the photos, I think a late spring or
early summer visit to Capel Manor would be better.
Eltham Palace and Gardens
On another cycling trip in London, we made the 13-mile
journey from Clapham Junction to Eltham
Palace and Gardens in East London, which is probably best known as the childhood
home of King Henry VIII. Today, this English Heritage property is a unique marriage
between a Tudor palace and a 1930s millionaire’s mansion. Although we didn’t
find any snowdrops in the gardens here, the palace was an interesting place to
visit.
Day Trips from London
RHS Garden Wisley
In
order to get good tickets for the Chelsea Flower Show in May, I recently joined
the Royal Horticultural Society which was offering a 12-month membership for
the price of nine months. The RHS sponsors the Chelsea Flower Show, and I’ve
been dying to attend for the past three years.
Anyway,
Wisley is RHS’s flagship garden, which covers 240 acres of landscaped gardens
in rural Surrey. Nearly one million people annually visit RHS Garden Wisley, which is a pleasant 20-minute bike ride on half paved
country roads/half dirt path from the West Byfleet train station. (Otherwise,
the gardens are probably best reached by your own car.) But if you want peace
and quiet, do not visit here during a half-term break. My visit was somewhat
ruined by hundreds of screaming children running wild throughout the gardens.
But
I did find lots of snowdrops, crocus and even bring pink and white blossoms of
camelias. Take the Wisley Winter Walk through the Seven Acres to find
interesting flowers and shrubbery such as the sweet smelling Lonicera
fragntissima and the Grandiflora.
Polesden Lacey
Another
slightly-out-of-the-way destination featuring snowdrops from January to March
is Polesden Lacey. I took the train
from Clapham Junction to Box Hill, and then cycled/walked my bike up a steep,
400-foot hill on the country road that leads to the National Trust estate. You
can even rent mountain bikes at the Box Hill station and choose a less hilly
route than I did. I was a hot, sweaty mess by the time I reached the gardens
only 30 minutes later.
Polesden
Lacey, the weekend party house of Edwardian socialite Maggie Greville in the early
1900s, features a beautiful manor house surrounded by gardens and green fields.
Definitely worth a day trip from London. Along the Lime Walk exiting the
property, you’ll find 4,000 snowdrops that were planted last autumn.
As
you make your way back to the train station, make a slight detour to the
Stepping Stones Walk where you find a few snowdrops along the river as well as
some wonderful views at the top of the hill.
Cheers,
Joy
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