Blooming marvellous! Wisteria flowers arrive FOUR weeks early after unusually mild April weather... creating stunning purple displays on cottages and houses across Britain

• The beautiful climbing flowers have bloomed four weeks early, thanks to warm Spring weather
• Stunning displays are being created across the country as the purple flowers start to bloom
• When fully grown, wisteria can stretch up to 20 metres high and 10 metres wide
  

By Sam Creighton

Published: 03:22 EST, 25 April 2014 | Updated: 05:52 EST, 25 April 2014

After the chilling cold and soaking rains of the last few months, Britain is due some sort of weather related happiness and it has finally come in the form of a sunny Spring, which has seen beautiful purple wisteria bloom four weeks early.

The pretty lavender and viola flowers, which usually come out in May, are producing stunning displays across the country after an unusually mild April.

Gardeners say the sunshine has helped the purple plant put on a particularly spectacular show this year. Swathes of wisteria, which flowers for about a month, are now creating wonderful walls of purple on cottages and houses across Britain.

Wisteria floribunda can climb as high as 20 metres above the ground and spread out 10 metres wide. It is unusual in that its flowers come out before the leaves, making it particularly attractive.

At Cambridge University's historic Christ's College visitors were yesterday stopping to admire the plant which now stretches across the whole of the Master's Lodge.

'The wisteria is a month earlier this year as we've had lots of sun and it has really helped the plant to thrive,' said Steve Griffiths, head gardener at Christ's College.

'It is an extremely good display and the flowers are now in full bloom and looking at their best.

'The wisteria is drawing lots of visitors to the garden as when they look through the college gate it's the first thing they see.

'Last Spring it was dull and cold so the wisteria didn't flower until the end of May.'

The Master's Lodge at Cambridge University's Christ's College, the head gardener says the flowers have come out a full month earlier than last year

An incredible display of wisteria has taken over the walls of this cottage in Holybourne, Hampshire. The purple flower has bloomed four weeks sooner than expected

The lavender flowers are particularly beautiful because, unusually, their flowers come out before their leaves, creating amazing displays of unbroken colour

Gardeners are saying an uncharacteristically mild April is to thank for the early success of wisteria this year

When fully grown, the plant can end up stretching 20 metres high and 10 metres wide

Wisteria flowers for around a month, generally sometime between late April and June