KEEN gardeners will be able to spot the first signs of spring in Malvern next month as a couple of gardens open to the public in aid of the National Gardens Scheme.

Little Malvern Court in Little Malvern, which opens from 2pm to 5pm on Sunday, March 20, has a 10-acre garden attached to a former Benedictine Priory, with magnificent views over the Severn Valley.

It features a terrace round house, water garden below feeding into a chain of lakes and a wide variety of spring bulbs, flowering trees and shrubs.

Meanwhile, Barnard's Green House in Poolbrook Road, which opens on Easter Sunday, March 27 from 2pm to 6pm, is a three-acre garden with mature trees, herbaceous borders, rockery, heather beds and woodland.

It also comprises a vegetable garden with old brick paths and box hedging and an old tennis court, which has been transformed into an asphalt garden.

Admission to Little Malvern Court is £3.50 for adults and 50p children while entry to Barnard's Green House is £2.50 for adults and accompanied children free.