March is peak daffodil season in London, the ubiquitous yellow trumpets — along with crocuses — usually giving one of the first signs that spring is finally coming (sure, the snowdrops come out earlier, but even their name is entrenched in the chill of winter rather than the warmth of spring). Daffodils can be seen on pretty much any patch of grass, but if you really want to see them at their finest, swing by one of the places below.
Exact flowering times vary each year depending on the weather, but March-April is the best period to seek them out. Cherry blossom and tulips usually appear a couple of weeks after the daffs, with wisteria following soon after in April-May.
Daffodils in The Royal Parks
St James's Park and Green Park are your best bets for a bit of daff-bothering in central London. The former is home to 70,000 daffodils each spring, sprinkled liberally among the formal ornamental beds and borders, and on the lawns, overlooked by Buckingham Palace at one end, and Horse Guards Parade at the other.
For spring colour, St James's Park is a shoo-in — it's also a hotspot for tulips, which tend to follow on about a month after peak-daffodil time.
Neighbouring Green Park, which famously has no formal flower beds, is liberally covered with daffodils between the trees throughout spring — thousands poking through the ground, as the first picnickers of the year toy with paying for one of those deckchairs before realising it's not quite warm enough yet.
Daffodils at Hampton Court Palace
Though better known for its annual tulip festival, Hampton Court Palace's gardeners know their way around a daffodil too. They're at their best in the Wilderness area of the garden, close to the famous maze. And while you'd normally have to pay a Palace admission fee to see this part of the garden, you can visit for free on a few garden open days each year, including 22-23 March 2025, which should be peak daffodil time.
Daffodils at Chiswick House and Gardens
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Such is the display of daffodils at Chiswick House and Gardens, they offer special walks led by Head of Gardens, Rosie Fyles and Senior Kitchen Gardener, Sally Tillson. Though not all of the 35,000+ spring bulbs planted across the estate are daffodils, they feature heavily.
You might notice those yellow hues appearing earlier here than in other spots across town. That's because the gardening team is in the habit of planting early-blooming narcissus, which can come into flower as early as January.
Daffodils at Bunhill Fields
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Though the daffodils in Bunhill Fields are not as numerous as some of the other spots on this list, their distribution among the gravestones makes for an atmospheric scene. This used to be one of our favourite lunch spots when Londonist HQ was nearby. Note: benches are in high demand on those first, apricity-tinged days of spring.
Daffodils in Osterley Park
The gleaming carpets of daffodils in Osterley Park are both beautiful and varied, although you will have to fork our an entrance fee to this National Trust property, even if you're just admiring the gardens.
Daffodils in Holland Park
Is there anything that Kensington's Holland Park can't do? Not content with having a tranquil Japanese garden, a top tulip offering, and some banging roses (probably not the horticultural term, that), you'll find the Daffodil Lawn betwixt that Kyoto Garden and Holland House, at the centre of the park.
Daffodil Crescent at Trent Park, Enfield
Less well-known, but possibly London's best show of the yellow flowers, is the spread of daffs which pop up at Trent Country Park in Enfield (nearest station Cockfosters) each spring. They carpet the lawn in front of Trent Park House (which used to belong to Middlesex University and is currently in a state of flux), to the extent that the drive is officially called Daffodil Crescent. There's no arguing with that — though it does make us nervous about walking down nearby Snakes Lane.
Sadly, Daffodil Garden in Ilford and Daffodil Street in Acton are somewhat lacking in their yellow namesakes, but the pocket-sized Daffodil Green in Kingston does boast daffodils.
