Identification: The wild daffodil has narrow, grey-green leaves and a familiar daffodil flower, but with pale yellow petals surrounding a darker yellow trumpet; this two-tone look is one way to tell them apart from their garden relatives. The wild daffodil is also relatively short (30 cm) and forms clumps, carpeting the ground.
March and April are also the months for primroses and fritillaries and of course at the end of April the bluebell. Walking boots on and find your local spring flowers. Take a picnic
Adwell
Daffodil Day in Aid of Sobell House, 7th April 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. https://www.adwellestate,com/daffodul-day-in-aid-of-sobell-house.
We are again opening the gardens at Adwell to showcase the amazing collection of daffodils. Over the past years we have planted in excess of 35,000 daffodils and over 350 varieties, so there is plenty to see with a good walk around the lakes if you so wish!
We will be providing delicious cream teas, and plants will be for sale from the garden. All proceeds go to Sobell House, Oxford which provides palliative care for those with life threatening illness, death and bereavement in Oxfordshire.
Ascott
Ascott is a National Trust property and you need to book to ensure entry. Ascott Park is a large expanse of mown grass dotted with specimen trees including several fine oaks, cedars and large horse chestnuts. In the spring there is a magnificent display of daffodils.
The House and Gardens are open between March and September, Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays). All visitors need to book tickets in advance of their visit to ensure the gardens are open. https://www.ascottestate.co.uk/your-visit
Batsford
March is the time when the carpet of yellow appears below the tree canopy at Batsford Arboretum and you can say so long to winter . There’s even a hotline to call for an update on what’s in bloom before you visit (01386 701441)… serious garden geek territory.So it’s just over the border in Gloucestershire, near Moreton-in-Marsh, but totally worth the trip – as is fellow Westonbirt, with its blooms of wild daffodils.
Claydon
Claydon House and the South Lawn and garden is a National Trust property formerly owned by the Verney family. Its most famous resident was Florence Nightingale. The garden this time of year is filled with banks of daffodils, primroses and fritillaries. Take a picnic and admire the views and watch the lawn being mowed! House is a masterpiece. Check times of opening. Local roads can be a challenge so coming in via Wilmslow or Stowe will mean fewer road closures and giant pot holes.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/claydon-house
Cliveden
Cliveden’s extensive woodlands and gardens are the perfect background for spring flowers, including daffodils and primroses. Take your walking boots and a picnic and enjoy a day on the amazing estate next to the Thames. Check for details: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire
Hartwell House
The 90-acre Capability Brown-designed grounds around Hartwell House is a must for exploring in spring and the fact that this is one of the three Historic House Hotels of the National Trust means you can wake up there too! The gardening team planted 10,000 daffodil bulbs in the grounds near the canal temple 20 years ago so it’s quite a sight at this time of year. If you can’t stay, then at least take afternoon tea overlooking the grounds and have an excuse to explore the grounds.
Hughenden 
There’s daffodils galore at the National Trust owned Hughenden Manor, known for its orchard and walled garden, and once the country home of Victorian statesman Benjamin Disraeli. Also worth a walk is the 25-hectare Hughenden Park it is something of a mecca for daffodil lovers who come to see the carpets of yellow flowers, and among them gnarly old blossom trees. It’s a magic combination and is free!
Hughenden is also the place for delicate, lemon-coloured primroses. They were former Hughenden resident Benjamin Disraeli’s favourite flower and they dot the banks and borders of the garden.
Stowe
The pale stone of Stowe’s colonnaded facade is the perfect backdrop to Stowe’s gazillions of daffodils. They’re out now and at their best between Grenville’s Column and Stowe House and around the ionic (did you pay attention in Classics?!) Temple of Concord and Victory. More details on their website.
The Parks of Milton Keynes
Throughout the parks of Milton Keynes, managed by the Parks Trustand including the recently restored Great Linford Manor, can be found great swathes of daffodils and spring planting. These wonderful parks have a full range of activities for everyone www.theparkstrust.com
An example of the diversity of spring flower planting visit the village of Simpson in Milton Keynes, one of the villages of historic Buckinghamshire that was included in the “New City” in 1967. It is located south of the centre, just north of Fenny Stratford. The village has planted a stream of daffodils that winds it way around the village and church. It holds special events to raise funds for local charities.
Waddesdon
The early flowering daffodils are already in full bloom around the flower beds at Waddesdon, but it’s Daffodil Valley that is – as the name suggests – the real show. If you take the 20min walk up to the manor this will take you on a sunshine-yellow route through Daffodil Valley There’s every shade of yellow in this area near the Aviary (back in 2019, 350,000 spring bulbs were planted around the grounds!) – and it’s even gently sloping to give you the best view across the bobbing heads. Also check out Tay Bridge and Upper Deer Pen for their daffodils and a quiet picnic spot on a sunny spring day.
Check opening times. Waddesdon Gardens Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0JHW For more information please click here.
West Wycombe Park
Wonderful parkland , village and hill to explore. The park is open on selected days from the end of March and often for local charities so do check before you go. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/west-wycombe-park-village-and-hill/visiting-the-gardens-at-west-wycombe-park
Willen Lake, Milton Keynes
It’s not just water sports in MK’s vast Willen Lake – the land around it amounts to 80 acres of parkland that’s been planted up for year-round colour. For spring daffodils check out the area around the Peace Pagoda and Medicine Wheel, but with 250 million daffodils reportedly planted around Milton Keynes over the last few decades, you shouldn’t have any problem finding a few.
