Flowers Will Soon Be in Bloom And Here Are the Best Places to See Them
Spring is just around the corner. It’s soon to be the end to bitter cold and the advent of a
Ivy Griffith
Spring is just around the corner. It’s soon to be the end to bitter cold and the advent of a sweet breeze that carries the promise of growth and change. Spring brings for many the end of a long Winter of blues and struggles, and the start of feeling more energized and focused. With Spring comes flowers – nature’s jewelry. From British Columbia down to Texas, California to Japan – half of the planet is getting ready to don her Spring décor, and CELEB is taking a look at the best places around the world to go if you’re hankering for some flower-gazing.
California – Rolling Hills and Wildflowers
California is one of the most breathtaking and dynamic states in America. With a wide range of biomes contained within a single long, narrow state – visitors to California can find a little bit of everything. Longing for some desert sun? California’s got you covered. Green rolling hills and vineyards as far as the eye can see? Got you there, too. A little mountain brook, some crashing Pacific waves, fields, flowers, trees, wildlife – it’s all there.
So it comes as no surprise that California is one of the best places in the world to view flowers this Spring. If you’re headed out West, these are the places you won’t want to miss:
- Visalia, CA; In the heart of California, Visalia lies across the Central Valley. The region is home to more than 120 crops, and as March approaches sprawling orchards of orange, plum, almond, peach, and apricot trees burst forth with blossoms in brilliant pinks and whites. On the way to Sequoia or King’s Canyon National Park, the Visalia Blossom Trail will wind guests through the center of breathtaking flowering trees, like something out of a fairytale. And at the Homer Ranch Preserve, enjoy over 1,800 acres along Dry Creek. The Dry Creek basin is home to one of the biggest and most thriving, as well as last remaining, sycamore alluvial forests. Once a year, the Lewis Preserve opens to the public for the Lewis Hill Wildflower Walk which gives visitors a view of an awe-inspiring wildflower vista, including the Striped Adobe Lily and San Joaquin Adobe Sunburst which are both becoming rarer by the year.
- Carlsbad, CA: Situated outside of San Diego, Carlsbad is perhaps best known for its world-renowned cave system, the Carlsbad Caverns. But there’s something for those who want to stay above-ground, too. Every year, from March to May, the Flower Fields open to show off ranunculus of multiple varieties. While there, visitors can expect to find 50-acres of colorful flowers with or without guided tours, wagon rides, live music, food trucks, and a variety of artistic workshops, wine tastings, yoga classes and so much more – turning a romp through a Flower Field into a transformational experience with something for everyone.
- Los Angeles County, CA: Close your eyes and imagine miles and miles of orange poppies. The instantly recognizable sunset blossoms stretch 8 miles through Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. If you want to catch this beautiful sight, plan on visiting in March or April – and the morning is the best time. Poppies are temperature sensitive so they open in the cool dewy morning and often furl inward in the afternoons. Lancaster hosts the annual California Poppy Festival April 22-24, and it’s hard to imagine a more Springlike activity.
Japan – Cherry Blossom Rain
Every year, visitors flock to the island nation of Japan to see something extraordinary: cherry blossoms unlike anywhere else in the world. Words fall short when it comes to describing the beauty, majesty, and elegance that is Spring in Japan. From cultured gardens where the cherry blossoms fall like rain and transport you to another planet entirely – to orchards and wild trees that create dream-like vistas to stroll and dream – Spring in Japan is a bucket list type vacation. Here are some of the best places to visit if your list is queued up and you’re ready to experience the wonder:
- Kyoto: Kyoto was once the Imperial capital of Japan, and although the capital is now in Tokyo, Kyoto remains the cultural capital. With historic sights and natural features that make it a unique location, the advent of cherry blossom season is just icing on the cake. When in Kyoto, plan around the Spring blooms – and check out these Sakura (Cherry Blossom)-spotting sights around the city.
- Atami: Atami is an onsen town, meaning it contains hot springs. In Atami, the cherry and plum blossom sweeps through like a hurricane, blanketing the region in breathtaking wonder. Nestled against the sea, Atami hosts an annual blossom festival that pays homage to the beauty that fills the city each year.
- Minami Izu: Located in the Southernmost end of the Izu Peninsula, Minami Izu becomes a wonderland of yellow blooms from February through March as the rapeseed flowers bloom.
- Kakewaga: In Kakewaga, weeping plum blossoms create dynamic shapes that look like beflowered weeping willows. While visiting, Tatsuo Shrine and Hamamatsu Okuyama Kogen Botanical Park are the perfect place to view the Shidare Ume blooms.
Portugal
Located far off the coast of Portugal, the island state of Madeira is an off-the-beaten-path vacation destination many don’t consider, but absolutely should. Spring is the perfect time to add this to your wanderlust travels, because from May 5-29, visitors can enjoy the Flower Festival. Folk concerts, musical performances, art installations and parades come together to make this celebration of Spring and wonder a truly unique and must-see event.
Whether you’re there to shop the market, take in the natural beauty, enjoy some music or fine dining or appreciate the art – it’s all there for your enjoyment.
Rhode Island
You might not think of Newport, RI, when you think of flowers – but perhaps that will change now. Every year, Newport hosts Newport Daffodil Days. From April 1-31, the town celebrates the arrival of well over 1 million daffodil blooms, and guests are encouraged to visit the four flower fields and take their best guess at exactly how many bulbs were donated.
The festival was created to support Newport in Bloom, which is a non-profit organization that encourages residents and businesses to beautify their gardens and public spaces with flowers. For more information on Daffodil Days and how to plan your trip, visit the website.
Texas
In the Southern parts of the US, Spring arrives a little earlier. Few states welcome the warm like Texas – and here are the best places in the Lone Star State to see some fields of wonder:
- Dallas: Dallas hosts the largest annual flower festival in the Southwest, at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. From February 19-April 10, Dallas Blooms celebrates 100 varieties of spring bulbs, 500,000 spring-blooming blossoms, thousands of azaleas and hundreds of Japanese cherry trees. With a “Birds in Paradise” theme, visitors can expect larger-than life peacock topiaries as well as themed events including bird talks, bird flight shows, demonstrations and more.
- Hill Country: Every year, Hill Country in Texas is awash with breathtaking rolling fields of wildflowers. Bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, pink evening primroses, daisies, winecups, prairie verbena, goldeneye phlox and more make driving these roads an adventure like no others. The best roads to travel for this once-a-year experience are those between Marble Falls, Burnet, Lampasas, San Saba, Mason, Llano, Fredericksburg and Johnson City. Other regions in Texas that sport wildflower robes through Spring includes Washington and Grimes counties, which include fields of the above flowers as well as , thistles, purple coneflower, verbena, beardtongue, skullcaps, prairie parsley, yellow wild indigo, blue-eyed grass, rattlesnake master, blanket flower and rosinweed. Two loops lead out of Brenham that will take you on the winding journey of your dreams.
British Columbia
In Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, visitors will find themselves enjoying the mildest year-round climate in the country. This makes Spring the perfect time for blossoms to arrive and shed the cold of Winter. In Victoria from February through May, cherry blossoms invade the city – and there’s a downtown loop you won’t want to miss.
From March 9-16, the community in Greater Victoria gets together for the annual Flower Count. It’s a cheeky and playful event that encourages residents to count the blossoms the find so each community can compete to earn the title of “Bloomingest.”
Whether you’re looking for something close at hand or farther afield, it’s almost time to get your Spring shoes on and go looking for those flower buds.