The arrival of spring in London ushers in the lamentably short but magical period when cherry blossom comes into bloom. However fleeting these pink and white petals may last, the effect they have on London’s parks and gardens is nothing short of transformative.
Across the capital, these delicate blooms appear like confetti on the breeze, softening even London’s hardest edges and offering a glimpse of the warmer days that lie ahead. Whilst there are many parks dotted throughout London where one may find cherry blossoms, the following suggestions are all worthy of seeking out, both for the trees themselves and the locations they reside in.
Kew Gardens
Spread across more than 300 acres, Kew Gardens houses an impressive collection of flora from around the globe, and its cherry trees are no exception. The Japanese cherry trees in the garden's arboretum, particularly around the Temperate House and the Japanese Landscape, bloom in soft pinks each April.
The setting amplifies the spectacle: cherry trees in full blossom are reflected in ponds, drift past sculptures, and line gravel paths in a carefully orchestrated display. The scale and variety of these trees and petals are unmatched anywhere else in London, with both the native and Japanese ornamental cultivars offering subtle differences in colour, shape and size, for visitors to admire for hours.
Greenwich Park
The cherry tree avenue near the Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park is one of London’s most striking blossoms. Flanked on both sides by uniform rows of cherry trees, the walkway becomes a petal-lined tunnel every spring for a brilliant, yet flutteringly brief time. Whilst perhaps not as widely known as the likes of Kew, this spectacle, paired with views back towards the Queen’s House and as far as Canary Wharf, is nothing short of dramatic.
Regent’s Park
The Broad Walk in Regent’s Park comes to life in spring, with its ornamental cherry trees forming a soft, pastel corridor that cuts through the impeccable manicured lawns. Further into the park, the Japanese Garden Island in Queen Mary’s Gardens offers a more curated feel. Here, the cherry trees blend with maples and stone lanterns, framed by still water ponds – subtle touches that offer a gentle nod to the garden’s origins, as Japanese gardeners are well regarded for their landscaping prowess and attention to detail.
Battersea Park
Sitting astride the Thames Embankment, Battersea Park’s Cherry Tree Avenue can be found close to the Sun Gate entrance, and offers a clean line of bright pink blooms to wander through. Venturing further into the park before stopping off at the Old English Garden, visitors will find a pleasing mix of cherry varieties where thanks to the enclosed nature of the garden, the petals have time to settle, carpeting the ground in soft pink hues that makes for a wonderful spectacle from the middle of March onward.
Hampstead Heath
While Hampstead Heath has a reputation for being wilder than many of the landscaped parks on this list, the cherry blossoms at the Pergola and Hill Garden make an excellent addition for North London. Built as an Edwardian garden promenade, the raised walkway looks down onto a garden that’s bursting with soft colours each April. The cherry trees here are supported by stone columns and tangled wisteria, offering an air of timeless romance for visitors to enjoy that’s a fine contrast to the wilder, untamed heathland.
Dulwich Park
Dulwich is an area synonymous with country-fied surroundings, and its famous park has paths lined with cherry trees that come into bloom by early April. Once the preferred walking route of iconic English wordsmith Charles Dickens, there’s a specific stretch towards the boating lake where branches arch overhead to form a natural canopy of delightful blossoms, with the pathway strewn with falling petals, offering an enchanting walkway for visitors to stroll along.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Occupying a prominent strip of land within East London, the South Park section of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park features groves of cherry trees integrated into the park's landscape as part of the revival before the 2012 Olympic Games. These trees now form some of the city’s youngest, but most photogenic of blossom displays and are a delight to wander past during the spring. The contrast of the delicate blossom against the sharp architectural style of the Aquatics Centre and ArcelorMittal Orbit is reminiscent of utopian science fiction artwork for what cities of the future may have looked like, manifested in the present in the Stratford area of London.
Victoria Embankment Gardens
Tucked between the London Underground Embankment station and the path along the River Thames, these formal gardens are quite easy to miss for visitors and commuters alike, but they offer a concentrated display of ornamental cherry trees each spring. The juxtaposition of white and pink blooms against the area’s red-brick Victorian architecture and Thames House lends the gardens a surprising elegance, providing a spot of tranquillity amidst both road and pedestrian traffic in this notoriously busy part of the city.
Richmond’s Royal Botanic Gardens
The Royal Botanic Gardens around Petersham Gate include cherry trees planted at intervals. These are older trees, some now showing visible signs of ageing from their bowed and bent posture, but still blooming reliably each spring. As visitors follow the Thames Path from Richmond towards Ham House, they will pass sporadic cherry trees dotted along the way, particularly around Terrace Gardens. Taking the sight of these older trees whilst wandering along the riverside of one of London’s most beautiful neighbourhoods on a sunny day is nothing short of idyllic.
