Sandham Memorial Chapel blooms. Picture: Hugh Mothersole

Submitted by the National Trust

Blossom is one of the best things about an English spring. Many British trees celebrate the arrival of warm weather with beautiful flowers that provide food for pollinating insects.

In Japan, ‘Hanami’, or ‘flower viewing’, involves enjoying the beauty of trees as they bloom. The National Trust is encouraging people to join in celebrating the UK’s flowers as we approach #BlossomWatch Day on April 23.

You will be able to share your photos of the beautiful flower in your area on social networks using the hashtag #BlossomWatch.

To help you get started, the National Trust has shared some of its favorite flower types to look out for throughout spring and where to see them in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

Blackthorn – from March

For a first dose of bloom, look for wild blackthorn in country hedgerows. This one is identifiable by its black-purple twigs and white flowers that appear on short stalks before the leaves, either singly or in pairs.

Blackthorn is a vital source of pollen for the Blackthorn mining bee which collects pollen primarily from its namesake for its larval nests. Birds also nest in dense ferns and butterflies prefer bushland later in the year. Its dark fruits are also used to make sloe gin.

Where to see it:

Plum – late March to April

Plum blossom looks like cherry blossom, but if you look closely at the blossoms, there is a slight split in the petal of a cherry, whereas plum blossom petals are whole. Plum blossoms have a very strong, sweet scent.

Plum trees bloom quite early, so you need to protect them from frost if you want to harvest fruit in the fall. Due to its early flowering, it is a reminder that spring is on the way.

Where to see it:

• When Nuffield Place in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, reopens on Wednesday March 30, the avenue of purple plums should start to bloom.
• In the walled garden of Hughenden.
• In the car park of Cliveden Walled Garden in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

Cherry – April to May

Cherry blossom is a term used for many different species of cherry tree, including the wild cherry blossom which is more commonly found in hedgerows or woodland edges.

The wild cherry can be recognized by the small balls of white flowers covering the tree. The bark is reddish brown marked with horizontal “scars”. Bees love its pollen and cherries are devoured by song thrush and blackbird. Any fruit that falls to the ground is quickly eaten by badgers and mice.

Where to see it:

• The Grays Court Cherry Garden is reopening after the overhaul and restoration with several new Sakura cherry trees planted to possibly create a cherry tunnel effect.
• In Stowe Garden, the most magnificent specimen is the statue of Queen Caroline.
• In the 18th and 19th centuries cherry orchards were cultivated in the Chilterns. There are 30 foot specimens in the woods at Hughenden and a small cherry orchard in the garden.
• Particularly visible at the edges of woodland on the Bradenham Estate, Bradenham, Buckinghamshire.
• The newly planted Tai Haku cherry tree in the Cliveden water garden, as well as the Mount Fuji cherry tree near the path at the entrance to the garden are excellent low-growing trees for selfies.

Crabapple – April to May

Crabapple produces a white flower with a tinge of pink and is mildly fragrant. The gnarled “crab” shape of the mottled grayish-brown bark gives it its name.

Crab apple trees are one of nature’s favorites; moth caterpillars eat the leaves, bees love the pollen, and blackbirds and thrushes are known to feast on the apples themselves. Any fruit that falls to the ground will be eaten by badgers, voles, mice and foxes.

Where to see it:

• Grays Court has a wonderful tunnel of apple trees. The crabapple tree has been erected on hoops and interwoven with clematis to create a fragrant flower tunnel through which visitors can wander.
• In the National Trust car park at Smalldean near Saunderton, Buckinghamshire.
• In the car park of the walled garden of Cliveden.

Apple – late April to May

There are a wide variety of apple trees that have slightly different flowers and fruiting dates. Most apple blossoms have five petals and are pink when the flower first blooms, fading to white as the season progresses.

Apple trees are one of the most popular and widely grown garden fruit trees in the UK. Its oval leaves are slightly woolly above and densely woolly below, while the bark is usually gray in color and often has bumps, scales or ridges. The fruits themselves vary from green to red and are much larger than crabapples.

Apple trees make good nesting sites for birds and some also feed on fallen fruit.

Where to see it:

• The orchard, home to over 50 old varieties of apples, in Hughenden.
• In the Walled Garden car park in Cliveden, there are varieties of National Heritage apples shaped into cord, espalier and fan shapes to show off the fruit at their best.
• There are small varieties of apples in the Grays Court walled garden orchard.
• In the orchard of Sandham Memorial Chapel, near Newbury, Berkshire.

Hawthorn – May

Hawthorn, or Mayflower, is named after the month in which it blooms. For many, this is a sign that spring is turning into summer. It is most commonly found in hedgerows in the countryside, with pale green leaves and an attractive pale pink flower.

Hawthorns can reach 15 m in height and have brown-grey knotted bark with spiny twigs. There are also dark red berries, or “haws.” The flowers are very fragrant and grow in flat-topped clusters.

Up to 300 insects can inhabit a hawthorn, including moth caterpillars. Birds eat the berries and dormice feast on the flower itself.

Where to see it:

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