Where to see Spring flowers in London

Spring is fully upon us, and what better time to take a moment to relax and enjoy the array of flowers that London has to offer? We’ve compiled some of London’s top (and free!) places to see its best blooms, from stunning pink cherry blossoms to carpets of bluebells – perfect for a mindful Monday or end to your busy week. So go ahead and find your green escape in the city with these beautiful parks and gardens.

Take a much-needed break as you walk along these paths of pastel blossoms.

Greenwich Park

One of London’s royal parks, Greenwich’s avenue of pink cherry blossoms is a sight to behold – perfect for a calming stroll and snapping a few photos. In spring, the Flower Garden is especially wonderful for spotting tulips and hyacinth, and later in the year why not visit the Rose Garden? Also to note: renovation of the park is being completed for this summer, including the expansion of grassland habitats and many oak trees being replaced.

Ravenscourt Park

A green haven on the edge of Hammersmith, you can’t miss out on this park’s tunnel of blossoming trees. More like a secret garden, as well as flowers abound you’ll also find glasshouses, a pond with a kid’s beach in the summer, and even a teahouse!

Battersea Park

Walk under cotton pink blooms at Battersea, featuring the iconic Tokyo cherry blossom trees. You can also catch some gorgeous magnolias throughout April-June. This park spans the river Thames, with a more industrial backdrop of Battersea Power Station.

Tip: 5 minutes away from the train station you have New Covent Garden Market, a wholesale flower market for any early-morning Londoners (open from 4am-10am), as well as Battersea Flower Station –  a beautiful florist and small garden centre – on the other side of the park.

Bloom time: Early March to May (though this year we’ve had some in February due to the mild Winter)

Treat yourself to a tulip! These flowers offer a much needed splash of colour after a long winter, coming in various sizes, shapes and hues.

Regent’s Park

Another of London’s royal parks, this green oasis houses over 27,000 tulips in the park’s Memorial Gardens. This park is full of a variety of gardens, woodland and open park areas, including the Japanese garden, which is one of the most peaceful natural spaces you’ll find in London (trust us!). Also home to Queen Mary’s Gardens with its iconic and stunning selection of roses – it holds London’s largest collection with around 12,000 roses blooming every year.

St James’s Park

Annually hosting some of the most important celebrations and events across London, St James’s Park is well known and loved by many of us. Towards the Horseguard’s Parade side of the park, you’ll find a multi-coloured array of tulips planted in precise patterns. It’s also a great daffodil destination, which you may still be able to catch before they disappear!

Victoria Embankment Gardens

Along the North side of the Thames resides this strip of greenery, the beds covered with vibrant tulips. Each of the 3 gardens are individually colour coded and carefully tended to, so be sure to visit all of them. The Tropical border also looks stunning during the summer months.

Holland Park

Surround yourself with tulips and garden sculptures at this park’s Dutch Gardens. This diverse park is packed with flowers, gardens and woodland – from tulips to irises and roses. The popular Kyoto Gardens also display cherry blossoms (or Sakura in Japanese). The serene rock garden and water features here form a calm oasis, including a quiet pond and waterfall. And you can wander towards the North woodlands for Azalea’s Walk, flowering at various times between February and June.

Bloom time: Mid March to May

Feel renewed and refreshed with a wander beneath some wisteria arches. The vivid purple is truly inspiring, perfect for fuelling your creativity and pulling you out of a mid-week work slump.

Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath’s purple Pergola in Hill Garden sits amongst some truly stunning landscape architecture. This arched tunnel and terrace is draped with purple hanging blooms, a magical experience to walk through. Filled with overgrown walled gardens and hidden nooks, it’s a wonder that this historical site is free!

Peckham Rye Park

In spring-summer, Peckham Rye’s pergola blooms a beautiful tunnel of lilac. Situated in Sexby Garden, this also gives way to roses in the summer. It also houses a small Japanese garden with a number of gentle ponds and streams.

Notting Hill

This neighbourhood is famous for its parade of purple wisteria that climb up many houses. St Luke’s Mews or Horbury Mews are the best places to see these lilac blossoms, but you can simply take a stroll through the streets and see what you find.

Tip: A hidden place on our list is Eastcote Gardens, Hillingdon. This place is quite out of the way, but a lovely little haven if you happen to be near, and a real secret garden.

Bloom time: Late April to June

Immerse yourself in a peaceful sea of blue with these bluebell forests – the last flower on our list.

Osterley Park

Follow the extending bluebell trail within Osterley’s historic estate. A relaxing retreat spanning lakes, canals and green open spaces, this is more of a self-love day trip. The Garden House with scented plants and Tudor walled garden are a few of many floral delights here.

Highgate Wood

Carpets of bluebells weave their way across the forest floor at these ancient oak woodlands. Ideal for a little escape to the country within the city. Across the way, the more wild Queen’s Wood has a greater range of flora and fauna.

Wanstead Flats

This East London woodland has a vast array of bluebells – thousands of them, in fact! Chalet Wood is the best place for spotting these beautiful blooms. You can also take a stroll around the Ornamental Waters, a quiet lake with pale tree blossoms reflected in the water.

Bloom time: Late March to Early May

A few more note-worthy spots include Chiswick House and Gardens, which is full of floral design with its classical gardens and Conservatory. Moving further south, Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park is a wonderful woodland garden area, with lush carpets of bluebells and azalea. And we had to include the immersive Mayfield Lavender Fields, even if it’s on the edge of London and technically in Surrey.

To add a couple of paid but must-have options, Kew Gardens is an obvious choice for all of the above, plus it’s home to various exotic glasshouses and botanical collections. There’s also Hampton Court Palace, which has an official Tulip Festival running until the end of the month, but it’s free to visit the gardens on 27-28 April, 11-12 May, and 1-7 July.

That’s our floral round up over - we hope you’re able to surround yourself with green inspiration this spring by popping in to some of these places. We all need that peaceful rest and retreat from time to time, and being surrounded by nature is one of the best ways to do that. Enjoy the next few months of blooms and warming weather, and perhaps we'll see you out there!

If you're feeling inspired and would like to bring some year-round colour to your workspace for those days you can't make it outdoors, why not add some of our blooms? Feel free to get in touch with us about our Bloom services or read more about it all here.