There are many places in Britain where you can go to view bluebells in Spring. In this article we are visiting a famous garden in Sussex, about two hours south of London by car.

Normally bluebells come into flower in mid May, but due to our mild winter this year they were fully in bloom by the end of April.

Nearby is a modern building housing a vast collection of seeds from around the world, which Kew has the ongoing task of gathering. This is part of a international project to collect seeds from threatened species to preserve the biodiversity of the planet. However as you can see, today we are concentrating on the gardens, where everything is already thriving.

Throughout the gardens there are a series of streams, ponds and lakes, providing added interest to the scenery. On the day I visited in late April the Magnolia trees were in bud, almost ready to burst into flower.

Beside the stream I found this charming group of yellow, white and green plants.   Just around the corner from this stream an Iris garden was being developed, with many plants sent over specially from Japan. 

The wildlife here are so used to people that they do not hurry away when we approach. This bird was resting right beside the path. Behind him, several rabbits were playing in the grass.

As we walk further into the gardens we just begin to catch a glimpse of the bluebells that we have come to see today. In the far distance a peaceful lake is hidden behind the trees. We are following one path to the far end of the park and will return along the path you can see in the distance. 

The Willow is one of our native trees which, for thousands of years, has been harvested for making baskets and fencing. The wood is also carved into cricket bats and even has medicinal properties. At the far end of the gardens an area has been set aside to show how it is grown and some of the uses of this versatile plant. 

Willows love a wetland environment like this. Here a sculpture of a mermaid has been created out of willow twigs. It is not really clear from my photograph, but her head has strands of willow 'hair' sticking out at all angles. Willow twigs are pliable and bend easily into shapes like these.

One delightful feature of Willow is that you can use the growing plant for your own designs. Here the young plants have been bent over and woven together to form a living bower to cover a seat. Holes have been cut in the wooden seat to allow the plants to grow through the seat, anchoring it into place. As the plant grows the leaves will completely cover this structure and provide shade for the seat. This old idea was recently demonstrated on a television gardening programme  over here, so I suspect many people are currently trying this in their gardens!

Many mature trees were knocked down when there was a severe storm in this area in 1987. Since then a large number of new trees have been planted in these gardens. The young stems have to be protected against damage from wild deer and other wildlife.

Well, here we are among the bluebells. These woods extend over quite a large area at the far end of the park. Bluebells have a delicate scent, but when you get them in these quantities they give the air a delightful perfume. Heavenly. I wish you could have smelt it. 

Bluebells are shy plants that flourish hidden away in woodlands. Although they are normally blue, you can also find white and even pink varieties.

Scattered amongst the carpet of bluebells are small clumps of our native primroses. Aren't they sweet.

Wild flowers in Britain are protected by law. It is illegal to dig them up and put them in your garden. However it is easy to buy primroses legally in garden centres. 

I could not stop taking photographs.....

Wakehurst Place is located just outside Ardingly, near Haywards Heath in West Sussex.

 More details can be found on the Kew Gardens website at www.kew.org 

There is an entrance fee to visit the house and gardens.