Gardens opening early for spring

Tregwainton's champion magnolias are getting ready to bloom

A number of Cornish National Trust gardens are to open earlier than usual this year to allow visitors to appreciate the early arrival of spring.

Workers say a number of plants are blooming early, in some cases as much as four months ahead of schedule.

At Trelissick near Truro there are already a number of summer plants in bloom as well as rhododendrons, camellias, daffodils and snowdrops.

Persian Shield, a shrub native to Burma, has flowered four months early.

'Exceptional year'

Another summer species already in flower is Weinmannia Trichosperma, an evergreen tree native to Chile.

Barry Champion, head gardener at Trelissick, said: "We occasionally have a few plants flowering a bit early.

"But the gardening team at Trelissick has noticed that spring has come earlier this year and the garden is full of colour at the moment."

And at Trengwainton, near Penzance, Head Gardener Ian Wright said spring 2005 is going to be an "exceptional year for magnolias".

He said the garden's champion magnolias are getting ready to bloom early and will be looking their best from mid to late February.