Tulips up at Dyrham Park

Thousands of tulips are in bloom at Dyrham Park, bringing an explosion of spring colour to the gardens.

Thanks to a very hot spell in February and a dry spring, the garden team believes that the popular flowers are coming up a little earlier than normal this year.

Visitors can see pops of colour springing up in the long borders in the Avenue as well as in beds in Sphynx Court, in pots on the West Terrace and in the orchard.

Thousands of carefully-selected tulip bulbs, imported from Holland, were planted in December in a mammoth two-week planting extravaganza.

Senior Gardener Deanne Lewis said: ‘Every year our tulips offer a beautiful burst of spring colour to the garden. They are a highlight for visitors to Dyrham Park and we can’t wait to see them in full bloom.’

Dutch tulips have a special link to Dyrham Park as Holland was where William Blathwayt, the creator of the current house at Dyrham Park, spent his formative years at the English embassy in The Hague. He learned Dutch and developed an enthusiasm for Dutch art and blue and white Delftware much of which remains in the house today.

To tie in with the tulips outside, fresh tulips grown on-site will be displayed in blue and white pots in the house which reflect the Delftware collection. 

Inspired by the 17th-century Johannes Kip engraving, Dyrham Park gardeners are working on an ongoing project to transform the garden into a vibrant 21st-century garden with echoes of the past. The garden project also draws on examples from sites such as the gardens at Versailles in France and at Het Loo in the Netherlands.

Dyrham Park is situated just off junction 18 of the M4 – 8 miles north of Bath and 12 miles east of Bristol. The park is open daily from 10am-5pm (last entry one hour before close). 

More information is available at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/DyrhamPark