Flower fields to visit in the UK and flowers in season by month

Go on Instagram or blogs at certain times of the year and you can be certain of one thing. You’ll see seasonal flower shots and lots of them. Children in flower fields or woodland carpets. Whole family photo shoots in autumn leaves.  It’s cliched, but if you’re into photography, then you might want to get similar photos. Obviously there are official flower fields to visit in the UK and wider. But there are also opportunities to find public locations for photography. I’ve also pulled together a guide on which flowers are in season by month for photographers, instagrammers and bloggers.

So as the saying goes if you can’t beat them, join them.

We’re lucky because we live in the countryside so many of these sights are easily available. There’s plenty of flower fields near me, but they’re not always easy to find. And usually don’t have public footpaths through. Some flowers can be seen in gardens, some in woodlands, some in fields. We seem to be fairly limited in woodlands with bluebells near us for example, but there’s plenty on the rural verges.

Tips to find seasonal flower field photography locations

1. Google is your friend – look at National Trust website, Forestry Commission, Woodland Trust, local nature reserve websites, NGS members open their gardens
2. Use Facebook – local facebook groups maybe annoying most of the time, but if you want to know where the best place is to find poppy fields then ask the question because someone is bound to know
3. Use local village websites – they might have local maps with nature reserves marked, or previous photos you can use for ideas of the local area.
4. Social media – stalk instagram. Most people will share where their photos were taken, and you can then use google for more details on the exact location
5. Use blogs: my posts on sunflower fields, snowdrop walks and lavender fields will get you started.
6. Sign up to local newsletters. Flower fields only tend to open for 2-10ish weeks depending on the flower type, and opening is often dependent on the weather. So when you find out about them, get your skates on to see them.

Flower fields etiquette

Of course, once you’ve spotted or found your location, don’t forget to be aware of the location and the owners. Just because there’s a public footpath through a field doesn’t mean you can walk through the middle of it. And please take your rubbish away with you. You wouldn’t believe how many people leave litter on footpaths when you’d expect them to appreciate the countryside more if they’re walking in it.

Keep to the footpaths, keep dogs on leads, don’t park in gateways (or leave gates open if they were shut) and don’t let children run amok in fields.

If you’ve spotted pretty flowers in people’s gardens, ask them if you can take photos. Or use a zoom lens so you’re less obvious.  I’d also try and keep any identifying features out of the photo if you’re sharing it on social media – so no house names, licence plates or road signs in shot. If you lived in a pretty street you wouldn’t really want the whole world turning up in your garden.

Someone we used to know in our childhood village lived in an amazing barn conversion property with a beautiful courtyard. They woke up one morning, heard voices, looked out of the window and found a group of Japanese tourists who’d just wandered in through the gate, up the front garden and into the courtyard and were taking photos! And that was before the days of Instagram so I imagine home owners get a lot more annoyance nowadays.

If you want to be more organised than just randomly driving around villages and rural roads on the look out for beautiful florals, why not visit a commercial flower field.

Where to find pretty flower fields to visit:

• UK Lavender fields to visit
• Tulip fields – try around Spalding or Norfolk or this tulip festival, or Ashover Family Farm, near Chesterfield. Birchfield ice cream farm in Harrogate are opening for the first time in April 2024 for tulips. I visited Morton Hall Gardens tulip festival.
• Peonies – cut your own peonies and photography, Bury Lane Farm, Royston Hertfordshire – only open for a few weeks in May. They also have tulips, sunflowers and pumpkins.
• Dahlia picking at Farrington’s through July, book tickets in advance.
• Confetti fields, Pershore – only open around 1 week a year. Or try the new Hatters Farm Confetti fields, near Bishops Stortford
• Beautiful flower fields arounds the world
• Glebe Farm sunflowers, and other sunflower fields
• Snowdrop walks in and around Oxfordshire.
• The Blossom trail – in and around Evesham and Pershore, trails for bike, walking or cars.

Flowers in season by month / seasonal calendar

Don’t forget the flower season will vary according to year, weather, location and soil conditions. Some have short flowering season, others will last for a full season. Here’s a guide on the floral season, perfect for blogging and instagram calendars.

• January: snowdrops
• February: snowdrops, hellebores, crocus, daffodils
• March: daffodils, blossom
• April: bluebells, tulips, cherry blossom, hawthorn, rapeseed, magnolia
• May: wisteria, rapeseed fields, apple blossom, cow parsley on road verges
• May-June: peonies, poppies
• June-July: roses (look for National Trust, National Garden Society, summer fetes with flower competitions), strawberries (pick your own or in the garden), rhododendron (late flowering, early in March)
• Jun-Aug: Lavender, sunflowers
• Summer (to September): hydrangea, dahlia
• Autumn: coloured leaves, pumpkins and don’t forget to look for beautiful flowers as they decay.
• Winter: berries, fir cones, wreaths

Download the printable floral season calendar

Check out these flower quotes to use in your social media posts.

Do you succumb to floral season addiction and take photos with your family? Where would you recommend for visiting flower fields to photograph?

Why not take a look at these related posts:

• Lensball photography tips
• Flat lay photography prop ideas