I know (from the number of hits on my London Cherry Blossom Guide) that all you folk out there just can’t wait for the cherry blossom season to start. And you want to know what the state of play is, and whether it’s worth going now or not. So I’ve decided to do a regular update on the state of the blooms so you know just where you stand. You’re welcome!

For this update I visited Regent’s Park and St James’s Park, numbers 2 and 3 in my London Cherry Blossom Guide. This is how they look.

Enter Regent’s Park from the south-east corner and you’ll see a tree of white plum blossom in almost full bloom, though the cherry trees in the English Garden ahead of you are still in tight bud.

The grove of pink cherry blossom at the south end of Avenue Gardens is just beginning to bloom. (By the way, there’s a tree next to this grove in full bloom at the moment, but it’s not cherry blossom, it’s viburnum. Lovely, but with long. pink bell-shaped flowers in clusters).

There’s also a lovely plum tree overhanging the pavement in the private garden south of the Park.

In St James Park it’s still really all about the daffodils. But head down towards the Storey’s Gate corner, in front of the Treasury and you’ll find some pink cherry blossom just coming into bloom.

And some white plum blossom near the south side of the blue bridge.

These photos were taken on 25th March. Depending on the weather, the cherry blossom should reach its peak in early April and should still be around until the end of that month. I’ll be running another update soon.

If you absolutely must see cherry blossom now, Kew Gardens is always a good bet since it has so many varieties there’s always something in bloom.

For the latest state of play, see my Easter Cherry Blossom update.