Central Park’s cherry blossom trees delight visitors and locals alike. While April ushers in the bright blooms of the Yoshino cherry trees, park guests can also enjoy the more colorful Kwanzan cherry trees in early May. Find your way to some of Central Park’s top cherry blossom spots with this interactive map that the park debuted this year. Learn more about the park’s cherry blossom offerings and get a sneak peek at the beauty in the gallery below.
Not everyone can have a green thumb. For some gardeners, keeping plants healthy and happy is an uphill battle. If that sounds like you, don’t worry. Caring for your outdoor plants doesn’t have to be that way. With a little planning, you can have a stress-free and low-maintenance garden.
The trick is choosing hardy plants. Different plants thrive in different climates, but there are a few species known far and wide for being extremely resilient. These hard-to-kill outdoor plants include everything from flowering beauties to reliable ground cover. Find a few to add to your garden with the photo guide below.
A field of fresh, blooming roses awaits visitors who know where to go in Los Angeles. Away from all the concrete and city smog, people can enjoy a free nature experience at the Exposition Park Rose Garden.
Surrounded by the California Science Center, African American Museum, and Natural History Museum, Exposition Park offers hours of fun for both tourists and LA locals. Outside of these big-name attractions lies a spot that even some lifelong LA inhabitants don’t know. That spot is the Exposition Park Rose Garden.
Stop and smell the roses during the blooming season from March to November. While maintenance season (January to March) and the rare storm close the garden to visitors, the area is open most of the year. Learn more about the Exposition Park Rose Garden with this virtual tour.
Flowers can help make almost any yard look vibrant and inviting. If you don’t like or already have flower beds planted, consider incorporating flowering trees into your landscaping.
Homeowners can expect several benefits from planting a flowering tree. With the addition of just one plant, your yard will gain shade and visual appeal. For families, these advantages can make a major difference in how they use an outdoor space. With flowering trees, kids can play outside in the shade, and parents can appreciate some charming scenery.
When planning your next landscaping project, do yourself a favor and consider planting these eight flowering trees.
Take serene summer relaxation to a new level by visiting a lavender farm. Never been to one before? Here’s why they’re worth a visit.
At a lavender farm, visitors can expect to see radiant fields of purple flowers. These blooms flourish in warm summer weather, and their gentle, relaxing fragrance is adored by people worldwide. Similar to pick-your-own strawberry farms, many lavender grow sites allow guests to harvest their own flower bundles. These blossoms can be dried and used as home decor or as an ingredient in bath products and candles. Some farms even offer handcrafted soaps, sprays, and foods made with lavender.
Experience the lovely world of lavender for yourself at these seven incredible lavender farms throughout the United States.
If you’re not familiar with narcissus flowers, chances are you’ve at least seen a daffodil before. Daffodils and jonquils are common names used for plants in the Narcissus genus. These perennials grow from bulbs and usually flower in spring or fall. Gardeners can expect their narcissus plants to produce bright blooms without much fuss. After all, gardening texts have celebrated the easy-to-grow narcissus for hundreds of years.
Join the long tradition of growing daffodils by adding a few narcissus plants to your garden. Even if common daffodils aren’t your style, there are several other species you can try. Explore the wide world of narcissus flowers with these seven gorgeous options.
Prepare your pockets for posies, because wildflower season is still going strong. In May, Shenandoah National Park will celebrate its 37th annual Wildflower Weekend. This year, on Saturday, May 6, and Sunday, May 7, park guests can participate in free events highlighting the region’s seasonal blooms. Here’s what visitors can expect from the festivities.
People of all ages and backgrounds can join in art, hiking, journaling, and informational workshop activities during Wildflower Week. No reservations are required, and all of the programs are free. Visitors will still need to pay the park entrance fee, which costs $30 and allows unlimited entry for seven consecutive days.
Photo by Lara Ellis, via NPS
Guests joining the park for Wildflower Week can participate in tons of free events. Hikers can join naturalists like David Stapleton and Mitzi Fox as they lead hikes along flower-filled trails. At Shenandoah National Park’s Byrd Visitor Center, visitors can show their creative side during the Botanical Art Workshop. Even animal lovers will find fun activities like the Spring Amphibians walk led by park rangers or the Spring Birds of Pocosin hike led by park ecologist Alan Williams.
The Byrd Visitor Center auditorium will also serve as a hotspot for artwork commemorating wildflower season. On May 6, a recognition ceremony will congratulate artists who won the park’s “Youth Art in the Park” contest. Artsy folks can also join the Botanical Art Workshop events hosted on the meadow side of the center. The park will provide all art supplies, and local artists and naturalists will help guide activities.
Photo via NPS
Want to enjoy Shenandoah National Park’s spring wildflowers without getting involved in group activities? Hikers who prefer solitary adventures can find the best blooms on a few specific trails. Stroll along the Passamaquoddy Trail for trillium and moss phlox. Spot wild geranium on the trails near the South River Falls picnic area.
Keep the Shenandoah Wildflower Calendar handy to guide your journey. And whether you want to avoid crowds or get involved in the fun, the Wildflower Weekend schedule will be a helpful resource for guests visiting the park on May 6-7.
This April, take a minute to slow down and enjoy spring at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington state. All month long, acres of tulips and daffodils will bloom in the flower fields just east of Burlington and Mount Vernon, Washington.
Celebrations last until April 30. Until then, take a scenic drive through this rural region to experience the gorgeous blooms at Garden Rosalyn and the vast RoozenGaarde Tulip Field. This helpful interactive festival map will show you all the best flower-spotting spots. Visitors can also peruse the festival website for information on unique attractions like Tea Time in the Tulips at Tulip Valley Farm. Get a sneak peek of this seasonal attraction’s charming views in the gallery of Skagit Valley Tulip Festival photos below.
Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, when women’s education was limited, many young ladies found a socially acceptable way to study science: through botany. Many women read botany books at home, and quite a few others took their interest to the field. Some became botanical illustrators, trekking through wild places to identify plants and making thousands of scientific discoveries. In 1757, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to formally publish a species name. In the United States alone, at least 1,500 women were actively engaged in botany pre-1900. Celebrate these pioneering women by exploring the stories of these five early female botanists.
