Gardens in England and Wales bloom month early

We may be the best part of three weeks away from the equinox and a month from Easter but some of the loveliest gardens in England and Wales are already basking in the sights and scents of spring, with horticulturists reporting they have never known flowers out so early.

- Steven Morris

Magnolia trees in gardens in the south of England and parts of Wales are blooming four weeks earlier than usual because of a largely mild winter and a particularly balmy, if wet, February, the National Trust said.

Camellias and rhododendrons are putting on wonderful shows and hedgerows in many places are already turning bright green with fresh foliage.

Andy Jasper, the director of gardens and parklands at the National Trust said some of the early flowering was spectacular but a sign of the climate emergency.