NATIONAL Trust garden teams have found the sweet smell of spring.

Gardeners have just conducted their annual flower count for Valentine’s Day.

And though spring seems to be springing, staff have noticed an unusually high number of scented plants out in flower at this early time of year.

National Trust gardeners reported 1,737 plants blooming in this year’s 12th annual Valentine’s Flower count, 34% down on last year’s figure of 2,644.

Although numbers are down on 2016, they are still higher than the previous three years.

For the second year running, Saltram, outside Plymouth, had the highest number of flowers recorded with 176 blooms (193 in 2016).

The snowdrop has been voted the top spring flower for the fourth year running in a survey run with National Trust supporters on social media.

Ian Wright, National Trust gardens advisor in the South West said: ‘Alongside the usual signature plants of spring we are seeing such as magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons. What is often overlooked is the amount of plants that  have highly scented flowers at this early time of the year. 

‘They’re all out there advertising their presence by pushing out scents like perfume counters in a department store trying to attract their insect customers, which are few and far between at this early time.

‘We have reports of Daphne, mahonia, winter flowering honeysuckle, and witch hazel, to name but a few, all of which give off sweet heady aromas and are well out in flower at many of our gardens such as at Cotehele.’

In 2008 3,335 plants in bloom were recorded in Devon and Cornwall, marking the earliest spring so far recorded.

In Cornwall this year, 595 blooms were counted compared to 897 in 2016. In Devon there were 707 blooms this year compared to 1,041 in 2016.

This year 1,302 plants were recorded in 18 gardens in Devon and Cornwall compared to 1,938 in 2016 and 1,345 in 18 gardens in 2015. 

In 2008 3,335 plants in bloom were recorded, marking the earliest spring so far recorded in Devon and Cornwall.