THE Daffodil Festival at Cotehele heralded the start of spring at the weekend in the Tamar Valley.

The annual celebration featured hand-crafted daffodil displays made by National Trust's garden team and volunteers, and dozens of varieties in full bloom throughout the gardens.

There are over 300 varieties of daffodil on the Cotehele estate, including 200 heirloom varieties including 'Tete a Tete' and 'Fortune', and rarer types such as 'Butter and Eggs' and local favourite 'Tamar Double White.'

Daffodils are part of the Tamar Valley's market gardening history with flowers grown in the valley at the height of the industrial age on sale in London's flower markets within 12 hours of picking and packing.

Staff and volunteers complete the daffodil arch at Cotehele for their celebration of the yellow Spring flower. (Picture: National Trust/Steve Haywood)
Staff and volunteers complete the daffodil arch at Cotehele for their celebration of the yellow Spring flower. (Picture: National Trust/Steve Haywood) ( )

A spokesperson for Cotehele said: “We were thrilled to welcome just over 3,000 visitors to Cotehele during the first two days of our Daffodil Festival this year.

“It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying nature in the spring sunshine although this did lead to our car park being full at times. We apologise to those who couldn't visit us but hope we can welcome you back as the daffodil season continues over the next couple of weeks.

“Daffodils are just the start of the Spring spectacle at Cotehele - over Easter we have our ever-popular easter trails and our Festival of Blossom kicks off on April 26 so plenty of opportunities to enjoy the season at Cotehele.”

The Tamar Valley Landscapes team also added their own homage to the Cornish Spring flower as they decorated the packing shed exhibit at the house, their annual contribution to the festival.

The Tamar Valley National Landscapes team get the opportunity to decorate the packing shed for the annual Daffodil Festival. (Picture: Tamar Valley National Landscapes)
The Tamar Valley National Landscapes team get the opportunity to decorate the packing shed for the annual Daffodil Festival. (Picture: Tamar Valley National Landscapes) ( )

A spokesperson for the Tamar Valley National Landscape said: “We have decorated the packing shed for many years now, as it’s a great way to highlight our remarkable heritage and just one of our special qualities and reasons for designation of the Tamar Valley as an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in 1995.

“Market gardening was a huge industry in the Tamar Valley, and included daffodils, strawberries and cherries.”

The team used the shed to highlight 30 references and little known facts about the market gardening heritage using blue tissue paper reminiscent of the lining of the boxes of Tamar Double White daffodils renowned in the Tamar Valley in the 1920s.

References to the market gardening culture included a growth in the demand for jam in the 1880s after the abolition of sugar tax in 1874. Small factories around the Tamar Valley made jam, including Kimberley Jam (St Ann’s Chapel), Haye Farm and Woodlands (St Dominick) and Weir Quay.

The Tamar Valley National Landscapes exhibit in the packing shed focused on the market gardening heritage of the Tamar Valley with reference to 30 little known facts. (Picture: Tamar Valley National Landscapes)
The Tamar Valley National Landscapes exhibit in the packing shed focused on the market gardening heritage of the Tamar Valley with reference to 30 little known facts. (Picture: Tamar Valley National Landscapes) ( )

A spokesperson from Tamar Valley added: “Thank you Cotehele - National Trust for inviting us to decorate the packing shed again this year for your Daffodil Festival a real highlight in the Tamar Valley calendar.

“2025 is a special year for us, as it marks 30 years since the Tamar Valley was designated as an AONB.

“Although we are now known as Tamar Valley National Landscape, the designation remains, and we are proud to continue to look after this treasured area on the Devon/Cornwall border.”