“The first blooms of spring, always make my heart sing!”

The most wonderful time of year, when snowdrops gently emerge, evenings start to get lighter, the chill of winter fades and we celebrate The Spring Story!

The initiative of Toby Ashworth, Proprietor of The Nare Hotel, The Spring Story was born following misunderstandings about when is considered the best time to visit Cornwall’s most stunning gardens.

Devised to celebrate and recognise the moment when Cornish magnolias flower, spring has arrived in England. The decisive indicator is not about the shedding of the outer husks that surround the buds known as the winter jackets, but the date in which each of the 6 champion magnolia cambellii in 6 of the Great Gardens of Cornwall – Heligan, Caerhays, Trewithen, Trewidden, Tregothnan and Trebah – have flowered with 50 blooms apiece.

The moment all 6 historic magnolias reach 50 blooms, spring is announced in England. In 2022, spring was declared on Tuesday 22nd February which is nearly a month before the astronomical first day of spring (20th March), and much earlier than the rest of Britain.

To celebrate spring’s arrival this year, we decided to #StepIntoSpring – quite literally! We created our very own ‘Narnia’ moment, inviting the public to step through a specially-created flower arch made from foliage and magnolias from 3 of The Great Gardens, to discover spring on the other side.

Located at Truro Railway Station on the 1st March, at the start of #MagnoliaMonth, Anna and Emma from Wedding Flowers in Cornwall built the archway using the most incredible selection of greenery and flowers including a stunning array of magnolias, the stars of the show! Symbolising and representing the gateway to Cornwall and stepping into a new season, we loved seeing the smiles of locals and visitors to Cornwall as they walked through the archway, bidding farewell to winter and greetings to spring on the other side! After the cold and stormy days of winter, the season brings new life and fresh hope to the world.

During the morning, we welcomed various members of the initiative including Toby Ashworth, Jonathon Jones from Tregothnan, Ruth Powell from Great Western Railway and Darren Dickey from Trebah, and were delighted to be featured on a live stream with Cornwall Live.

The Great Gardens of Cornwall are a group of 13 of the best-known, largest, most historically and horticulturally important gardens in Cornwall, and The Spring Story is the highlight of our yearly calendar. We hope you agree, this was a stunning way to celebrate spring’s arrival.

We would like to thank The Nare Hotel and Toby Ashworth for the support, dedication and enthusiasm so readily given since the start of The Spring Story.