IF YOU are a green-fingered gardener inspired by this year's Chelsea Flower Show, you can enjoy some blooming marvellous breaks.

For example, you could get down under and dirty exploring New Zealand's unique flora which has featured twice at Chelsea and won a medal both times.

Drink in the formal gardens at Lanarch Castle in Dunedin, passing the internationally renowned rhododendrons lining the lower slopes of snow-capped Mount Taranaki.

Or travel to the Kauri forests of Northland, where Maori legend lives on, and absorb the amazing variety of species on show.

All Ways Pacific can organise a 21-night, self-drive tour of New Zealand with prices starting from £1,745 per head, two-sharing, including flights, 21 nights' accommodation and car hire for the duration. Call: 01494 432 747 or: www.all-ways.co.uk.

Meantime, this year hails the 300th anniversary of the birth of Carl Linnaeus - a Swedish genius who invented the Latin classification system of plant and animal species.

To commemorate his incredible achievement, the Chelsea Flower Show hosted a special Swedish garden created by award-winning designer Ulf Nordfjell.

Afterwards the garden was relocated to Gothenburg and its natural Swedish environment. If you could not make it to Chelsea, head off to Gothenburg with Ryanair flights from Stansted, Prestwick and Dublin from £25 pp incl. tax.

For more information about West Sweden and Gothenburg visit: www.westsweden.com and: www.gothenburg.com And don't turn your nose up to southern Morocco's annual celebration of petal power.

The country's legendary pink Persian roses are harvested for oil and the locals mark the occasion with dancing, flower-decked floats, banquets, camel rides and the crowning of this year's Miss Rose.

Watch while sipping rose water, then return to the nearby Jardins de Skoura, a family-run hotel producing apricots, pomegranates and figs.

Four nights' half board costs from £781 per person, including flights, private transfers and three days' car hire. Call The Best of Morocco: 0845 026 4588, www.realmorocco.com Or you could punt along the Polish Amazon' - a seven-night cycling tour with Explore, costing from £635 a head.

Horticulturalists should head to the country's rural northeast where the Narew River marshes and meadows are ablaze with flowers. In truth, they are best seen by gliding the reed-lined, labyrinthine channels in wooden punts.

Departing August 18, the break includes Heathrow flights, with regional connections available, all transportation, B&B, local payment and services of a tour leader. Call: 0870 333 4001, www.explore.co.uk If tulips are your plant of preference, then head to Umbria before spring has finally done its thing.

Horticultural holidaymakers will relish chestnut groves, elm forests and the leafy gardens at Villa di Monte Solare.

A week's B&B at this exclusive hilltop haven costs from £413. Flights and car hire can be arranged. Call Real Holidays: 020 7359 3938, www.realholidays.co.uk Closer to home, daffodils and cream teas at Trelissick National Trust Garden, near Truro in Cornwall, herald the arrival of spring with a fine display of daffodils.

This tranquil tiered garden offers park, woodland and riverside walks with splendid views down to Falmouth and the sea.

Stay in nearby Sail Loft - sleeping six - a character detached property with views across the picturesque Devoran Creek and easy access to nearby sandy beaches. A five-day break costs £87 each - £522 total. Call: 01326 555 555, www.classic.co.uk See summer in full bloom in North Devon with a visit to RHS Garden Rosemoor at Great Torrington on Rose Sunday.

On June 24, visitors to the colourful and scented rose garden will be treated to talks, garden walks and great advice to take back home.

Stay close by at Penhaven Country House Hotel, in Parkham, set in ten acres of gardens and woodlands.

Choose from 12 large, stylish rooms and enjoy the excellent AA rosette restaurant and a welcoming bar. Rooms are available from £70 per person per night, B&B basis. Call: 01237 451 711, www.penhaven.co.uk.

  • For other floral breaks that are definitely to be sniffed at, the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) 150 independent and specialist travel companies provide an unrivalled collection of holiday ideas that cover the world. Visit: www.aito.co.uk for further information.