Cornwall is the only place to see flowering magnolia trees in the UK at this time of year, signaling the true arrival of spring.

The Nare, Cornwall’s highest rated hotel, has partnered with The Great Gardens of Cornwall to capture this spectacle and has declared that spring arrived on 3rd March 2014.

Despite recent storms, Britain is spotting signs of spring with crocuses, snowdrops and daffodils popping up in the rest of the country, but it's the Magnolia campbellii flowering in Cornwall that really signals the true start of spring.

The Great Gardens of Cornwall and The Nare Hotel have been recording the magnolia blooms in seven nominated gardens to illustrate that Cornwall is very much ‘open for business’. Trewidden Garden’s Magnolia campbellii champion tree, Trewidden Belle, already had 50 blooms on the very same day as last year, despite the storms.

Toby Ashworth, proprietor of The Nare Hotel and bespoke garden tour specialist, who has championed raising awareness of Cornwall’s Spring Story, adds: “Cornwall has a distinct climatic advantage. Despite the treacherous stormy conditions hitting Cornwall and the rest of the country repeatedly this winter, Cornwall’s mild, sub-tropical climate ensures that the county sees the first signs of spring (The Nare Hotel always has daffodils from its garden on the dining tables at Christmas). I always try and encourage guests to come and stay at The Nare in time to see Cornwall’s spring gardens at their best – when the magnolias are in full bloom, typically in early to mid March.“

Spring has been fully declared now that the seven Magnolia campbellii trees from the seven gardens have flowered with at least fifty blooms. The gardens include Caerhays Castle Gardens, Trebah Garden, Tregothnan, Trewidden, Trewithen, Trengwainton and The Lost Gardens of Heligan.

Roy Lancaster OBE comments, “I have been visiting Cornwall for many years to witness the flowering of the magnificent Magnolia campbellii trees and I am delighted to see the county spreading the word about this stunning spectacle - this really is my top note of spring.”

Speaking about the arrival of spring, Malcolm Bell, Head of Tourism at said: “In a similar way that the Japanese celebrate the arrival of the cherry blossom each year, those in the know come to Cornwall to admire the flowering of the great Magnolia campbellii – the genuine national icon symbolising the arrival of spring.”

Find out more about the seven champion Magnolia campbellii trees and the head gardeners who look after them and keep up to date with their progress at:

www.greatgardensofcornwall.co.uk/springstory or join in on Twitter @Gr8Gardens