National Trust head gardeners in Devon and Cornwall undertook the biggest flower count ever to take place in the UK yesterday.

At the end, 2,317 plants were counted flowering and the results not only show that spring has arrived in the UK, but also points to a warmer, earlier spring.

In Cornwall the Trust is reporting more than a 93% increase in plants in bloom in comparison with 2006.

In 2006, National Trust Head Gardeners in Cornwall conducted a flower count on 14 February. This count was extended to include Trust gardens in Devon in 2007. The highest count of 426 was made this year at Trengwainton - the Trust's most westerly garden in the UK. This figure is more than double that recorded in 2006. The biggest increase was discovered at Antony - a historic house and garden in SE Cornwall. Here the number of flowering varieties increased by five fold, from 48 in 2006, to 266 in 2007.

The count will be conducted annually and will provide a record of when spring arrives in the South West. It will assess whether the timing of the season changes over the years and aims to address whether climate change is having an effect on Trust gardens.

This year Trust gardeners have discovered some species flowering out of season in their gardens. These include an indoor summer flowering plant Tibouchina urvilleana found in flower at Antony and Glendurgan in Cornwall, Calistemon (Bottle Brush) flowering 3 months early at Trengwainton and Clianthus (Lobster Claw), 3 months early at Cotehele in Cornwall.

Ian Wright has been working for the Trust as a gardener in the South West for 20 years and is head gardener at Trengwainton.

"For many Trust gardeners in Devon and Cornwall it has felt that spring has been coming earlier and earlier for a number of years. In response to this we have been opening our gardens earlier and earlier in the spring, so visitors can enjoy the gardens - in fact some of our gardens are now open all year round. The 93% increase on last year is an incredible result, although this time last year it was much cooler and was more akin to a historic spring. It is possible that the earlier arrival of spring is down to global warming and hopefully this count, over a number of years, may help to establish any links between changing climatic conditions and early flowering," he said.