‘An abundance of blooms’: readers’ best spring flowers in the UK and Europe

Spring turns Florence into a vision in purple, a French garden into an impressionist revival, and churchyards into poets’ corners

The Azores, an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, is one of the remotest parts of Europe. Often considered the European Hawaii, with a strong volcanic presence, from black sand to geysers, the Azores are also known for their incredible hydrangeas, which frame houses and line roads and pathways all over the islands, and start flowering in spring. One of the central, smaller islands, Faial, boasts the largest collection of hydrangeas in varying shades of blue, so much so that it has the nickname Blue Island.
Nadia, Aberdeen