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Spring has officially sprung and the flowers are in bloom all over Norfolk, but nowhere quite so beautifully than at Langley School, near Loddon.Ìý

Despite the early signs of spring, the date for Daffodil Day is 10 April and 2,000 people are expected to walk around the grounds to admire the blooms to help support both Langley School and the Marie Curie Cancer Care. But, the big question is whether they will have already flowered by then.

The daffodils are blooming

Although some daffodils have bloomed in the recent warm weather, the variety of the species means there will still be plenty of flowers to admire in the 100 acres of parkland, during one of headmaster Jim Malcolm's favourite times of year.

Different daffodils

"There were certainly daffodils here when the school took over - when it came to the site in 1946 - but we've planted lots of different varieties," he said.

"Some of them come early and some of them come late. Towards the lake at the school, very few of these have come to flower so they certainly will be in full bloom by the time it comes to Daffodil Day.

"Initially when Daffodil Day started, it was open for two days, but that was really just to come and have a stroll around the grounds.

Special events

"These days it's more like a country fair, it's quite a big event with lots of demonstrations and rare breeds and all sorts of things coming along and so we just do it for the one day," he added.

This year's event will include a nature walk to view the Victorian arboretum, the site's specialist trees such as cedars and giant redwoods and the spectacular parkland in which the school is set.

The gardens will be open to the public

Capability Brown

They still have a set of designs drawn up by Capability Brown in 1765, but the plans were never fully implemented. Apparently Brown's drawings were relatively cheap - having him build them was a different story.

Wandering around on the open day, you're bound to find your own favourite spot, but for Jim Malcolm it's a corner of the garden that fell into decline.

"I'm a fly-fisherman, so it's this lake," he said.

"It was originally here in Victorian times, but when I came to be headmaster in 1997 it was just an overgrown ditch. We've restored it and it's now full of a hundred trout. You needn't ask if it's my favourite place," he added.