Spectacular 60-yard laburnum arch comes into bloom at National Trust garden

It’s a spectacular spring scene that displays nature’s boundless beauty in all its glory.

Described as a highlight of the season by the National Trust and a ‘jewel in the crown’ that everybody should see at least once in a lifetime, this famous laburnum arch usually attracts many thousands of admirers at this time of year.

Thanks to the pandemic only a handful of gardeners can currently witness the full beauty of the 60-yard long golden laburnum arch at Bodnant Garden, near Tal-y-cafn, North Wales.

This season is the earliest the 140-year-old arch has flowered in a decade but the gardens remain closed to the public. Created by the garden’s Victorian founder Henry Pochin in 1880, it is believed to be the longest and oldest in Britain.

Normally around 50,000 people flock to gaze at the floral wonder in late May and early June, but this year the National Trust owned gardens remained closed due to coronavirus.

Renowned for their tinted textures of light and shadow, laburnums – often called golden chain – prominently feature in Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny.