Hever Castle prepares gardens to celebrate spring

Kent's Hever Castle is preparing its extensive gardens ahead of an inaugural Celebration of Spring.

The two-week event at the tourist attraction near Edenbridge will offer guided tours and gardening workshops.

In previous years, Hever Castle has celebrated tulips in April, but has expanded the attraction due to demand.

Head gardener Neil Miller said: "In recent years visitors have been excited by the myriad of blossoms and spring flowers, so we decided to dedicate a special fortnight to this wonderful time of year.”

The event, which will run from 15-28 April, promises the chance to see thousands of tulips, spring bedding, cherry and apple blossom , magnolias, early rhododendrons, hyacinths, camassias and bluebells.

In the first week visitors will be able to tour the site with the gardening team, while week two will offer workshops and tutorials.

Mr Miller said: “We are looking forward to hosting daily tours in week one and to providing some really unusual demonstrations in week two.

“I’m particularly looking forward to showing people how to create a special ‘scratch and sniff’ hanging basket full of aromatically important and stunningly visual plants that will produce blooms through the summer as well as important culinary treats for the pot.”

Former gardener Emma Fuller-Wilke will also show how to create an eco, seasonal and foam-free flower arrangement using foliage freshly picked from the castle grounds.

And self-guided tours will allow visitors to explore the apple-blossom in Anne Boleyn’s Orchard, the rhododendrons beside the Golden Staircase and the daffodils on the banks beside Two Sisters’ Lawn.

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