THOUSANDS of tulips are set to bloom at Dyrham Park, bringing an explosion of spring colour to the gardens.

The National Trust garden team have estimated that the flowers are around three weeks later than normal, thanks to a cold, damp start to the year.

However, visitors will soon be rewarded with pops of colour springing up in the long borders in the avenue as well as in Sphynx Court and in pots on the west terrace.

More than 10,000 carefully-selected tulip bulbs, imported from Holland, were planted in December in a mammoth two-week planting extravaganza.

National Trust gardener Tim Jones, speaking shortly after the planting, said: “Every year our tulips offer a beautiful burst of spring colour to the garden.

"This year we've more than tripled the number of bulbs with a whopping 11,000 planted.

"We can't wait to see them in bloom."

Dutch tulips have a special link to Dyrham Park, as Holland was where William Blathwayt, the creator of the current house at the site, spent his formative years at the English embassy in The Hague.

He learned Dutch and developed an enthusiasm for Dutch art and blue and white Delftware much of which remains in the house today.

To tie in with the tulips outside, fresh tulips will be displayed in six pieces of Delftware inside the house.

Inspired by the 17th-century Johannes Kip engraving, Dyrham Park gardeners are working on an ongoing project to transform the garden into a vibrant 21st-century garden with echoes of the past.

The garden project also draws on modern day examples from sites such as the gardens at Versailles in France and at Het Loo in the Netherlands.

Dyrham Park is situated just off junction 18 of the M4 – 8 miles north of Bath and 12 miles east of Bristol.

The park is open daily from 10am to 5pm.

nationaltrust.org.uk/DyrhamPark.