Sally Petitt of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden welcomes a new season by celebrating that most glorious of mood lifters: blossom
Images by Howard Rice
The sight of spring blossom is a heartwarming moment in the horticultural year, and heralds lengthening, warmer days. Such is the impact of this spectacle that it’s hard not to be moved by the clouds of delicate blooms that brighten our gardens, streets and hedgerows.
The term blossom is usually associated with spring-flowering members of the rose family, such as cherries and apples. For me, though, it is much more wide-ranging and encompasses a host of spring-flowering trees and shrubs that bloom from March through to May.
Among these are the magnolias whose flowers punctuate early spring days, swiftly followed by cherries (Prunus), apples and crab apples (Malus), hawthorn (Crataegus) and viburnums, such as the wayfaring tree (Viburnum lantana) and guelder rose (Viburnum opulus). And while they may be diverse in form and detail, in succession they present a delectable palette of sumptuous blooms.
The tradition of hanami
In Japan, cherry blossom season has its own celebration – sakura – which varies according to both location and flowering time, starting in Okinawa in January and finishing in Hokkaido in April with late-season blooms.
Such is the fervour for cherry blossom in Japan that generations of people adopt the centuries-old tradition of hanami, in which families celebrate the arrival of spring by viewing blossom while indulging in family picnics and parties.
While here in the UK we may not go to such lengths to celebrate this spectacle, a You Gov survey conducted for the National Trust found that 94% of people reported feeling happy at the sight of spring blossom – such is the power of plants.
Blossom for pollinators
It’s also easy for human admirers to forget that the production of spring blossom isn’t simply for our benefit, but serves to attract pollinators who visit the flowers in exchange for nectar.
Once pollination has occurred, blossom trees – whether cherry, hawthorn, sloe, apple or crab apple – continue to support the wider ecosystem in providing food and shelter for a range of mammals, birds and insects.
The native sloe, or blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), for example, not only puts on a show of white flowers in spring but also provides a source of food for birds (as well as a gin flavouring for humans). It is estimated to support more than 100 insect species, the majority of which are butterflies and moths.
Blossom in abundance
Here in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, blossom season for me starts with the magnolias, whose waxy, goblet-shaped flowers emerge before the leaves, and whose generous blooms brighten the darkest of early spring days.
Perhaps the most widely admired of these is the Magnolia x soulangeana, whose pink-tinged blooms adorn many domestic gardens. Meanwhile the Magnolia stellata, with its delicate star-shaped flowers, and the large, deep-pink Magnolia sprengeri (‘Diva’) are less widely grown but equally rewarding in their flowering. There then comes a flurry of flamboyant flowering, starting with the familiar lilacs (Syringa species) whose panicles bear many scented, tubular flowers.
The stars of the season, however, are the rose relatives whose flowering starts in February with the delicate Japanese apricot
(Prunus mume). Then follows a succession of floriferous crowd pleasers, such as the white wild cherry Prunus avium, its double form ‘Plena’, as well as the ‘Shogetsu’ and ‘Shirofugen’, whose double pink flowers are widely admired.
The great white cherry, Prunus ‘Tai Haku’, whose low, broad form is bedecked with large, single white flowers, is a floral feast. And taking pride of place here on the Botanic Garden’s main lawn is the Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis). It bears single, bowl-shaped, almond-scented, pink-flushed flowers that are a spring highlight!
Of course, such flamboyance is not to everyone’s taste. For those with a more discerning palate, the early-flowering cherry ‘Kojo-no-mai’ carries delicate white flowers from March to April, and reaches only 2.5m in height, making it an excellent choice for a planter. Then, flowering later in spring is the crab apple Malus transitoria, whose star-shaped blooms cover the entire canopy – which I admit I always want to dive into!
Rounding off the season are a host of natives, including the hawthorn or may flower (Crataegus monogyna), whose flat-topped clusters of white flowers adorn many hedgerows; the bird cherry (Prunus padus) with its delicate, almond-scented racemes of flowers; and the guelder rose (Viburnum opulus), which bears pompom-like clusters of white- or green-tinged flowers. All are perhaps more subtle in their flowering than their more ornamental counterparts, but they are no less valuable in our landscapes.
With such an array of blossom-bearing trees and shrubs gracing our gardens, streets and hedgerows, there’s plenty
to admire. It’s worth taking a moment to savour the flamboyance of spring blossom, and perhaps even mark the spectacle with your own hanami celebration!
Did you know?
So enchanted by the arrival of spring is poet laureate Simon Armitage, that it inspired an entire collection of his writings. Fans of blossom will find their emotions perfectly encapsulated in the 21 poems of Blossomise, published by Faber & Faber.
Gardening jobs for March
- Finish cutting back herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses that were left over winter to provide interest and shelter insects.
- Tidy borders and vegetable beds, removing both established and newly emerging weeds.
- Plant summer-flowering bulbs such as lilies, alliums and gladioli.
- Finish pruning roses and shrubs with coloured winter stems such as dogwoods (Cornus).
- Start mowing the lawn, but set the blade higher than you would in summer.
- Sow tomatoes and chillies.
Sally Petitt is head of horticulture at Cambridge University Botanic Garden. From gardens for the senses to beds of roses, explore more of Sally’s gardening tips.