Another Southeast England ? - When?
 

Still making some of the early decisions for next spring's trip to U.K.

I would like to firm up the time period - so
given that I want to avoid Bank holidays and school breaks AND would like to see gardens with plenty of blooms AND I want to avoid heat and cold (I like pleasant "walking weather"):

Which month (and which 2 weeks in the month) are likely to work best in MAY OR JUNE?


thx for answering the convoluted question.

Hi semiranmis,

if you want to avoid bank hols and the school 'half-term" holiday, you'd do best to aim for the middle 2 weeks of May and the whole of June.

Here's a list of the bank hols in England and Wales in 2014:

http://www.year-planner-calendar.wan...c-holidays.htm

in a normal year, many of the best of the flowers for which Cornwall is famed will be over - Camellias, Rhododendrons, Magnolias, all are at their best from March to April, though some linger a bit longer. THIS year, because it's been so cold, they are quite a lot later, but last year they were very early, though they tend to be later, the further north you go.

June is a better month for roses etc.

Thx annhig - just what I need to know.
At first I thought May but now I am leaning towards June. I have never been to the U.K. in June (always been there earlier or in Sept.)I'd love to see roses in full bloom.

We have had a non-spring here too. It's FINALLY beginning to warm up. They just had SNOW in Manitoba though - glad I am not there.

semiramis - June can be lovely. or it can be bl..dy cold. or terribly hot.

but it is most likely to be pleasantly warm.

we don't have seasons, we have weather.

Annhig has answered it perfectly- weather, not seasons. There is absolutely 100% no way to know which weeks (or month for that matter) will have the weather you want.

I agree that mid May or mid to late June would be best crowds-wise. Weather-wise - it's a total crap shoot.

Last year we walked in the Botanical Garden in Edinburgh on April 1 in shirtsleeves, enjoying the flowering trees. This year, it is only in the mid 50's in many places in East Anglia and the Southeast, with what friends describe as "Arctic" winds.

We are going to Sussex next week, prepared for everything with scarves, gloves, waterproofs -- and a pair of shorts.

You're in luck Ackislander, the forecast is pretty sunny and mild (low-mid 60s F) for the next week or more. Lovely spring weather. Not sure about the shorts but you won't need the gloves!

Your 'arctic winds' reports are a week or so out of date.

"Your 'arctic winds' reports are a week or so out of date."

Not really.

Out here, winds even in a smallish garden feel arctic (and unprotected plants keel over) even while it's possible to walk round our microtown in shirt sleeves. I've just had to put sunblock on to tell outside the polling station.

Meanwhile, down the garden centre, blokes are shopping in shorts, realising that hoiking those 100 litre sacks of bark chippings home is going to get sweaty. But rolling out the fleece overnight to keep the early plantings alive.

The answer to semiramis' question is that there's no such thing as a "best time". But just as the answer to questions about walking around isn't predicting the weather but bringing clothes to deal with whatever our climate is likely to throw at you, the answer to questions about gardens is to adapt your plans to what the weather turns out to be.

Which said: our winter-ravaged garden is now blooming away, as practically all English gardens do in May and June. Just different blooms from those we'd normally expect.

If you're sensibly worried about temps too hot for comfortable walking: they're by no means rare from the last week of May to mid-August. Earlier May combines a near-certainty of blooms and comfortable walking weather better than June

Oh well I guess I will just go back to plan A - concentrating on avoiding bank and school holidays.

The last time we were in the U.K. (early May) I had to buy a pair of shorts for walking in Wales - I was drenched in sweat in my long pants.

semiramis - I'm just sorry that we can't be more help!