Almost out - the famous Cherry Orchard at The Alnwick Garden

Just starting to bloom - the Tai Haku cherry orchard.

The Alnwick Garden's famed Cherry Orchard is nearly in full bloom, as this picture by our photographer Jane Coltman shows.

And the good news is it should be fully in flower by this weekend.

Head gardener Trevor Jones forecast yesterday (Wednesday), when the picture was taken, that by Sunday, the largest Tai Haku cherry orchard outside of Japan would be at its best.

Fingers crossed!

The 326 cherry trees lie on a slope just beyond the Grand Cascade. The Tai Haku is also known as the ‘great white cherry’ because of its stunning large white blossom.

Just once a year in April/May, The Alnwick Garden’s orchard becomes a cloud of white, with the petals gently falling like snow.