Alnwick Garden is a complex of formal gardens in Northumberland, England. The pride of this garden is its magnificent tai-haku – or Japanese cherry – orchard, equipped with dozens of wooden two-seater swings where couples can relax and enjoy the spring blooms.

The 329 cherry trees at Alnwick have large white petals and are said to be the largest collection of this species in the world.

It had been extinct in Japan until 1932 when a British ornithologist and plant collector named Collingwood “Cherry” Ingram took cuttings from a tree Sussex – which had been earlier imported from Japan – and reintroduced the lost tai-haku to the land of the rising sun.

The Duchess of Northumberland came up with the idea for Alnwick Garden. It opened in 2001 covering an almost 50,000 sq m area in the grounds of Alnwick Castle, though it has been enhanced and expanded in the years since.

The centrepiece is the Grand Cascade, which features 120 water jets and fountains. The pavilion and visitor centre seen behind it contain a gift shop and food outlets.

The walled ornamental garden contains beautifully arranged flower beds and borders. The neat horizontal branches of the trees, trimmed by the gardeners, are very impressive.

The Poison Garden is a popular feature. It contains around 100 seemingly innocuous, ordinary-looking plants that are toxic or narcotic and potentially deadly.

Other attractions include a rose garden, a bamboo labyrinth and Serpent Garden.

Closed at the moment due to Covid restrictions is a fantastic wooden treehouse, the largest such structure in the world. It usually serves as a restaurant and wedding venue.

This article first appeared on Northumberland Traveller.