Spring is almost here, you can smell it in the air! There is no other season in the year that heralds such hope and excitement for new beginnings. The sun shines a little brighter, the air starts to warm and gardens start to burst forth with a riot of colour and sensuous perfumes. Ah spring, we love it!Italian gardens are admired the world over and some of the famous garden designs around Lake Maggiore near Milan in Northern Italy are a perfect example of spring colour in the garden.

I’ve picked some gorgeous images from two of the most famous gardens in and around Stresa, on Lake Maggiore – Villa Taranto and Parco della Villa Pallavicino. These two gardens are wonderful examples of Italian garden design and have magnificent spring flower displays, set against a tapestry of greens and the azure blue of Lake Maggiore.

Villa Taranto is a stunning English-style garden created by a Scotsman who bought the property in 1931 and collected plants from around the world. The gardens cover 20 hectares, have 7 kilometres of paths and contain 20,000 plant varieties. The highlights of Villa Taranto include the terraced gardens, the entrance boulevard, the artificial valley, the Putti fountain and in spring the spectacular 10,000 tulips.

Parco della Villa Pallavicino is set over 20 hectares. The garden features the famous cypress arches framing the lake, expansive water lily gardens and fabulous rose arbors with shaded lawns in between the beds and planted areas. The gardens also feature a wide variety of zoo animals. These gardens limit the use of evergreens and focus predominantly on plants that bloom in spring and summer.

You don’t need to be an avid gardener to enjoy these gardens, as you can see from the images they will lift the spirits of anyone and blow away those last remaining winter blues.