When will Spring be sprung? Six Cornish gardens have the answer...

Six giant Magnolia campbellii , in six of Cornwall’s greatest gardens, have become the country’s unofficial guide to the changing of the seasons. 

They are being closely monitored by the estates’ head gardeners for any signs Winter is finally over.  

They and their teams will be carefully counting each new bloom and when every tree has more than 50, will announce that Spring has arrived in England.

Last year the Cornish Spring started on March 1 – well ahead of the clocks springing forward on March 25.

The trees were all planted between 1860 and 1976 and they will be showing off their brightly-coloured blooms at Caerhays Castle Gardens; Trebah Garden; Tregothnan; Trewidden; Trewithen and The Lost Gardens of Heligan.

The six gardens have their own bloomometers but the announcement will not be made until each tree has a minimum of 50 blooms.  

People can follow the progress of the blooms and track the beginning of Spring on the Great Gardens of Cornwall website www.greatgardensofcornwall.co.uk where there will be a running tally.