I know what you’re thinking – ‘Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.’ But during springtime in London, nothing will inspire you to get out and about like the sight and smell of the city’s beautiful blooms. So we’ve partnered with TfL to put together a handy flower guide that you can refer to throughout the coming months.
And in the spirit of a springtime refresh, the TfL Go app has had an upgrade. You can now see when you reach your daily cap and how much you’re saving with each additional journey, making it even easier to keep trips low cost.
Don’t forget, fares on London Overground, Tube, DLR, and the Elizabeth line are capped at £16.30 in Zones 1–6, so once you reach the daily cap, every extra journey is free*.
April
Daffodils
What signifies the arrival of spring more than the soft yellow glow of a daffodil? Typically the first flower to arrive at the function, daffodils can be spotted from early March and remain well into April.
Where to spot them:
📍St James’ Park – 🚆St James’s Park Underground
📍Kew Gardens – 🚆Kew Gardens
📍Lesnes Abbey Woods – 🚆Abbey Wood
📍Hampton Court Palace – 🚌 411, 111, 216
Cherry Blossom
‘Here for a good time not a long time’ feels like an appropriate motto for cherry blossom, but that just makes spotting it even more exciting. These delicate pink candy floss-esque blooms only tend to appear for a two week window, and the timing of the bloom is temperature-dependent.
Where to spot it:
📍Kyoto Garden (Holland Park) – 🚆Kensington Olympia
📍Regent’s Park – 🚆Baker Street Underground Station
📍St James’ Park – 🚆St James’s Park Underground
May
Tulips
One of the best things about tulips is the beautiful array of colours they arrive in – from crimson red and burnt orange to deep purple and fuchsia pink. Whilst they are closely associated with the Netherlands, these gorgeous flowers also look right at home anywhere in London with a royal connection.
Where to spot them:
📍Buckingham Palace – 🚆St James’s Park Underground
📍Hampton Court Palace – 🚌 411, 111, 216
📍St James’ Park – 🚆St James’s Park Underground
📍Kensington Gardens – 🚆Lancaster Gate Underground Station
📍Regent’s Park – 🚆Baker Street Underground Station
Wisteria
As April becomes May, prepare for the arrival of wisteria hysteria as people explore the city in hope of glimpsing the coveted deciduous climber. Similarly to cherry blossoms, these cascading violet blooms don’t stick around for long – but their legacy lives on in diligent documentation via Londoners’ Instagram feeds.
Where to spot it:
📍Kynance Mews – 🚆Gloucester Road Underground Station
📍Bedford Gardens – 🚆Notting Hill Gate Underground Station
📍Kensington Gardens – 🚆Lancaster Gate Underground Station
📍Regent’s Park – 🚆Baker Street Underground Station
📍Cheyne Walk – 🚌170, 19, 49, 319, 345, 639, 670, 22
📍Abingdon Road – 🚆High Street Kensington Underground Station
June
Roses
Come June, it’s time for the roses to have their time in the sun – quite literally. With their elegant layered petals and unmistakable heady scent, there’s nothing like roses in bloom to bring an air of romance to a blissful summer’s day.
Where to spot them:
📍Hampton Court Palace Rose Garden – 🚌 411, 111, 216
📍Queen Mary’s Rose Garden (Regent’s Park) – 🚆Regent’s Park Underground Station
📍Hyde Park Rose Garden – 🚆Hyde Park Corner Underground Station
📍Holland Park – 🚆Holland Park Underground Station
📍Morden Hall Park Rose Garden -🚆Morden Underground Station
July
Lavender
As recognisable for their bold floral scent as their gentle pastel colour, the smell of lavender is an unmistakable sign of summer. Chances are you’ll also hear the gentle hum of bumble bees hovering around as they come to collect nectar from one of their favourite plants.
Where to spot it:
📍Vauxhall Park – 🚆Vauxhall
📍Kennington Park – 🚆Oval Underground Station
Wildflowers
Whilst we’re always here for a perfectly manicured garden, who doesn’t also love an untamed scattering of wild flowers? From daisies and poppies to buttercups, they appear in swathes providing a lovely contrast to the uniformity of many other flower beds.
Where to spot them:
📍Hampstead Heath – 🚆Hampstead Heath Rail Station
📍Richmond Park – 🚆Richmond Underground Station
📍Epping Forest – 🚆Epping Underground Station
📍Walthamstow Wetlands – 🚆Blackhorse Road
*Always use the same card or device when touching in and out. Excludes London Cable Car, River Bus, Southeastern high‑speed services. Daily caps apply to journeys made between 4:30am and 4:29am the following day. For full details visit http://tfl.gov.uk/capping
