Where to see spring flowers in the West Midlands

We are finally reaching the end of winter and with the rising temperatures flowers are starting to bloom again.

At this time of year snowdrops, crocuses and even daffodils are a familiar sight, while over the coming weeks we will be seeing the bluebells flowering too.

The Royal Horticultural Society says you can also expect to see hellebores, hyacinths, camellias, heathers and cherry blossom as the dark months give way to spring.

And, there are plenty of places worth a visit around the West Midlands, if you are looking to get up close and personal with the blooms.

Rode Hall, a house and gardens in Cheshire, has more than 70 varieties of snowdrops for galanthophiles (snowdrop-lovers) to enjoy.

If you're quick, there is one last "snowdrop walk", on Sunday, to enjoy a guided wander through those white blooms in its grounds.

The collection has been created over six generations of the Wilbraham family, since the first snowdrops were planted by Sibella Wilbraham in 1833.

The route through the grounds is a mile long and you can also find the snowdrops and other flowers decorating All Saints Church.

Among the rare snowdrops to view on the walk are the Yellow Cheshire Snowdrop (Lady Elphinstone), the giant Comet, the Viridapicis and the Merlin.

Rode Hall has placed mirrors under some of them, to allow visitors to see the under side of the flowers.

Later in the year there will be displays of bluebells, rhododendrons, summer borders and the Rode Hall rose garden.

Hall owner, Randle Baker Wilbraham, said: "We love sharing this unforgettable start to spring with our visitors."

For crocuses, the place to head for is Weston Park, on the border of Shropshire and Staffordshire, where staff say the gardens, lawns and paths are lined with them at this time of year.

A team of seven gardeners, plus a team of volunteers who help in the walled garden and formal gardens, said they created "a gentle carpet of colour across the grounds".

But, they say the best time to see their flowers is in April or May, when the likes of rhododendrons come into bloom in Temple Wood and the wisteria dazzles on the outside of the Orangery.

Dudmaston, a National Trust property between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster, reopens to the public on 15 March and staff and volunteers have been tending to emerging bulbs and borders.

They say they "weed around snowdrops and daffodils, refresh mulch, stake delicate stems, and monitor moisture levels".

Dudmaston also has a team of rangers who plant snowdrop bulbs around the woods in late autumn and the snowdrops in nearby Comer Woods can be seen now, along with daffodils and bluebells set to make their appearance in the coming weeks.

Winterbourne House and Gardens, in Edgbaston, Birmingham, say there are snowdrops everywhere at the moment, but these will soon be replaced by other flowers, as the weather continues to warm up.

Staff say they expect to see hyacinths, daffodils and cherry blossoms in the next month and there are cyclamen and iris reticulata in glasshouses around the garden.

Of course, you do not need to go to a country estate to see flowers at this time of year.

These pictures were taken by Ian Hughes in Ashmore Park and St Peter's Gardens in Wolverhampton.

He runs a Facebook page dedicated to celebrating Wolverhampton through photographs.

Rozanne Delamore, from Ledbury, is a member of Flowers from the Farm, a trade association that promotes locally-grown organic flowers.

Some of the daffodils she has cut recently have been adorning the shelves of her house and she said: "Everything you can think of, if it grows in England I sell it."

She said the flower-season started for her with daffodils and she loves this time of year because "everything is in front of you".

Asked if there was a flower which could get more attention at this time of year, she suggested hellebores, which she finds rewarding to harvest, are loved by bees and have a "nice range of colours".

There are some properties that are either closed until the Easter holidays or have not yet seen flowers come into bloom.

They include the formal rose gardens at David Austin Roses in Shropshire and the fields at Shropshire Petals, which are opened to the public in the summer.

Ashley Evers-Swindell, from Shropshire Petals, said they had seen snowdrops, daffodils and crocuses growing wild, but their own crops, which are dried and sold for bouquets and confetti, were nowhere near flowering yet.

If you want to see some more photos of flowers around the region, check out the BBC Weather Watchers page, or even sign up and upload your own.

These pictures were taken in Kenilworth, Worcester and Coventry in the last week.

Follow for more pictures on Instagram from BBC Birmingham, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire, BBC Hereford & Worcester, BBC Shropshire, BBC Stoke & Staffordshire and BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country