Dear mummy, this time last year we visited Exbury Gardens. We had such a great time we decided to visit again and see all the beautiful flowers. Easter has come around early this year by a couple of weeks, so the weather hasn’t been that great compared to last spring. It’s only just clearing up now.

We picked the Saturday of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend to visit, as the weather was dry. It’s a short journey past Southampton and into the New Forest for us and the day is overcast, but at least it’s dry. We are off to see the first signs of spring and the Easter Bunny! Exbury Gardens is a famous garden in Hampshire, which belongs to the Rothschild family just outside Beaulieu. The gardens and layout were created by Lionel de Rothschild who owned it from 1919.

He came from the Rothschild banking family, so he was very rich but described himself as a “banker by hobby, a gardener by profession”. He spent a huge amount of time and money, travelling abroad Lionel collected many specimens from around the world and planted them in his garden, in the early 1920s he set out to create new hybrids. He created around 1200 hybrids which are known as ‘The Exbury Collection’.

We stroll around the gardens and admire the Rhododendrons that are out and re-visit the giant Burmese Bell which hangs from a Sessile Oak Tree at the entrance to The Glade. We re-act the photo that we took last year. I’m slightly bigger though and this time I can touch it when daddy lifts me to reach it. We had a great walk and spent 4 hours pottering around the grounds.

I chickened out of the steam train ride as I was scared of the Easter Bunny!! (After all that my mummy thinks!) But we watch the train at the station and enjoyed a nice lunch in the cafe instead. We’re going to make this a regular occurrence to visit Exbury Gardens to celebrate Easter weekend. Our annual pilgrimage to celebrate rebirth and spring time. Exbury gardens is definitely worth a trip to signal the start of spring!

Love Bella x