Spring is is finally on its way as begin to see daffodils across the county.
Derbyshire's many stately homes are starting off their year with spring flower displays, the relatively mild winter means that many of them have started to bloom much earlier than usual.
One of the finest collections of daffodils in the county can be found across the Chatsworth estate near Bakewell. One of the most photographed spots is the Canal Pond at the south of the house .
Lady Spencer's Wood in the Hardwick Hall estate is carpeted with wild garlic, wood violets and wild daffodils beneath towering ancient beech trees in the Spring. Lady Spencer was the mother of Georgiana Cavendish (wife of the 5th Duke of Devonshire). She created a woodland walk with her granddaughter while staying with her at Hardwick in the late 1700s.
And the avenue and gardens at Renishaw Hall near Eckington are another great place to see daffodils and other spring flowers.
Many town and village centres are decorated with planted daffodils in the spring months. The centre of Baslow is one of the best places to view them, on the riverside and the green verges, this is also the case just over the border in Staffordshire in the Peak District village of Alstonefield.
The county's parks and green spaces will also feature many species of cultivated Narcissus. Hall Leys Park in Matlock is renowned for their flow display in Spring and Summer and you're sure to see some daffodils featured in some capacity this year. And you can also try and spot them in Buxton Pavilion Gardens when taking a walk around the grounds.
Lea Wood in the Lower Derwent Valley borders the Cromford Canal and at this time of year the wild daffodils are in flower as they are at nearby Derwentside, close to the River Derwent.
In the very south of the county, near the borders of Leicestershire and Staffordshire, you can visit Roliston Forestry Centre where you can see all types of seasonal flowers within the 154 acres of woodland.
In the Peak District, wild daffodils are a frequent sight alongside the path between Wolfscote and Biggin Dale, near Hartington.
Growing daffodils at home is a relatively easy task for the amateur gardener and they have been a firm favourite in many English gardens for generations. One of the finest residential displays of daffodils can be found right here in Derbyshire.
Chevin Brae near Belper is one of the gardens in the National Garden Scheme and can boast a daffodil display that can put many stately home gardens to shame. Viewing is only available by pre-arrangement with the owner.
