16 Best Connecticut Places To See Spring Flowers
Spring in Connecticut is extremely beautiful, as flowers and greenery explode with color across the state. With the weather warming up, Connecticut residents can finally come out of hibernation to enjoy the warmer weather and the blooming flowers. Connecticut has many beautiful parks filled with beautiful a variety of stunning flowers, so take this opportunity to get outside and enjoy nature during its most glorious time of year!
Hubbard Park (Meriden, Connecticut)
- Address: 999 W Main St, Meriden, CT 06451
- Directions: HERE
Hubbard Park is a lovely green park in the Connecticut city of Meriden. Beautiful strolling routes, ponds, and little footbridges may be found in this public park. It’s a true oasis in the middle of the town. The park is especially beautiful in the spring, when the park’s 600,000+ daffodils blossom. Hubbard Park features one of New England’s largest daffodil displays!
Late April and early May are the finest months to see the beautiful yellow daffodils. The Meriden Daffodil Festival is held at the park every year, typically during the last weekend in April. The event is presented by the town. Learn more about the festival at daffodilfest.com
Wooster Square Park (New Haven, Connecticut)
- Address: Wooster Square Park, New Haven, CT 06511
- Directions: HERE
Wooster Square Park in New Haven, Connecticut, is a lovely public park. In the spring, the park is regarded as being one of the best spots to see cherry blossoms in Connecticut. The New Haven Historic Commission, in partnership with the New Haven Parks Department and local residents, planted 72 Yoshino Japanese Cherry Blossom trees in the park in 1973.
The city celebrates cherry blossoms during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which is usually held during the last week of April. The event is organized and supported by the Historic Wooster Square Association. Over 10,000 people attend the annual festival, and there’s music, food stalls, entertainment, and more! Learn more at historicwoostersquare.org
Wicked Tulips (Preston, Connecticut)
- Address: 382 CT-164, Preston, CT 06365
- Directions: HERE
Since 2015, Wicked Tulips in Rhode Island has hosted pick-your-own flower fields. They expanded their business to a property in Preston, Connecticut, in 2021. Tulips cover about two and a half acres of the property in Preston. Their Connecticut farm features over 300,000 tulips which bloom each year!
Wicked Tulips has mastered the utilization of natural bulbs and healthy soil to produce the highest quality tulips with a wide variety. A u-pick session allows visitors to stroll around and pick their own 10-tulip bouquet to take home. Walking around the farm and picking tulips requires a ticket. These tickets must be purchased in advance online.
Wicked Tulips typically is open from late April to early May. It usually closes in the middle or late May. Check out The Bloom Report for the latest up-to-date information.
Denison Homestead (Mystic, Connecticut)
- Address: 120 Pequotsepos Rd, Mystic, CT 06355
- Directions: HERE
The Denison Homestead is a 160-acre private property located 5 minutes from Mystic’s downtown. This 300-year-old family farm has been conserved through the centuries with the goal of bringing the community closer to the property’s history, land, and environment.
Daffodil Day is observed at the Denison Homestead every spring. Over 10,000 flowering daffodils create a sea of yellow blooms on the lawn. Daffodils, being one of the first flowers of the season, symbolize rebirth and new beginnings. On Daffodil Day, a guided walking tour is offered, and daffodil bouquets and other daffodil goods are for sale at the homestead gift shop. Everyone is welcome to participate in Daffodil Day without needing to purchase anything.
There is a fee to enter the home, but the grounds are free to admire year-round! Free parking is located along Pequotsepos road.
Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens (Stamford, Connecticut)
- Address: 151 Brookdale Rd, Stamford, CT 06903
- Directions: HERE
Francis A. Bartlett, a well-known dendrologist and the creator of the worldwide renowned F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company, purchased 30 acres of North Stamford woodlands in 1913. He bought this land to create a home, training school, and research laboratory for his thriving tree-care business. He accumulated a great number of woody plant species from all over the world throughout the years, and the property increased to 65 acres. Mr. Bartlett departed the property in 1965, and the State of Connecticut purchased it under the Federal Open Spaces Program.
Local volunteers immediately developed the site into a public park, and the Bartlett Arboretum opened in 1966. The property’s title was transferred to the City of Stamford in 2002, with the Bartlett Arboretum Association in charge of all management and operational oversight. To Bartlett’s existing property, an additional 27 acres of nearby city land was added.
The property now includes 93 acres of extraordinary open space that showcases the greatest of Connecticut’s native landscape, including magnificent award-winning Champion trees, charming gardens, wildflower meadows, red maple wetlands and boardwalks, woodland walking trails, and a variety of wildlife and native habitats. Visitors can enjoy the stunning cherry blossom trees, azaleas, daffodils, and more in the spring!
The Bartlett Arboretum is open every day of the year from dawn to sunset, and visiting is completely free.
Florence Griswold Museum Gardens (Old Lyme, Connecticut)
- Address: 96 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371
- Directions: HERE
The Florence Griswold Museum is an art museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut, that is centered around Florence Griswold’s home. The Old Lyme Art Colony, a major hub of American Impressionism, was centered at the house. The museum’s collection of American Impressionist paintings is well-known.
The museum’s grounds consist of 12 acres, and the garden is considered one of the best in New England. Florence Griswold developed the garden and orchard in the early 1900s, and it was the subject of numerous paintings by Lyme Art Colony painters. Due to a lack of management, the garden deteriorated over time. The classic garden, however, was extensively restored in 1998 and has since become a must-see destination for gardening, reading, and other social groups. Among the various perennials in the garden are hollyhock, iris, foxglove, heliotrope, phlox, cranesbill, and daylilies varieties. In the early spring, the daffodils are a must-see!
Harkness Memorial State Park (Waterford, Connecticut)
- Address: 275 Great Neck Rd, Waterford, CT 06385
- Directions: HERE
Harkness Memorial State Park is a historic preservation site featuring a botanical garden and a variety of recreational opportunities. The park is in the town of Waterford, Connecticut, on Long Island Sound. Eolia, a 42-room Renaissance Revival home with formal gardens and greenhouses, is the focal point of the state park’s 304 acres.
The Mansion and its gardens were extensively restored beginning in the mid-1990s. Due to the restoration, the estate now has the same appearance as it did in the 1930s. The property features lovely water features, a loggia, stunning wrought iron fencing, benches, and more. The gardens boast hundreds of perennials, annuals, and shrubs. The daffodils and flower trees bloom in the spring and they are so beautiful to see!
There is a parking fee at Harkness from Memorial Day to Labor Day (and a few weekends before and after those dates).
Olive and George Lee Memorial Garden (New Canaan, Connecticut)
- Address: 89 Chichester Rd, New Canaan, CT 06840
- Directions: HERE
Olive and George Lee Memorial Garden is a 2.7-acre garden located in New Canaan, Connecticut’s wooded environment. The garden was established in 1940 when George S. Lee set out to create a “peaceful place where plants can reveal their characteristic beauty in a natural setting.” Beautiful spring-blooming bulbs, ephemerals, ferns, and herbaceous plants line the paths throughout the garden. There are numerous specimen azaleas and rhododendrons, as well as mature trees that provide dappled shade.
The Garden is particularly popular in the spring when early spring bulbs and ephemerals bloom in March and April. Azaleas and rhododendrons then bloom in May and June. The azalea bloom normally peaks around Mother’s Day in early May. The rhododendron bloom peaks later in the month of May. The garden is open to the public throughout the year. The garden is completely free to visit all year round.
White Flower Farm (Morris, Connecticut)
- Address: 167 Litchfield Rd, Morris, CT 06763
- Directions: HERE
White Flower Farm, located in Litchfield, Connecticut, is a well-established farm. White Flower Farm was founded in 1950, and since then, they’ve been growing and providing a wide variety of decorative plant kinds to gardeners around the country. The White Flower Farm shop is surrounded by ten acres including many gardens. The gardens are available to the public and feature beautiful flower displays. Visitors will enjoy magnificent spots of daffodils, tulips, roses, and more throughout the spring!
There is no charge to visit White Flower Farm, but it is suggested that visitors support them by shopping at their store.
Greenfield Hill (Fairfield, Connecticut)
- Address: 1045 Old Academy Rd, Fairfield, CT 06824
- Directions: HERE
Greenfield Hill is a historic neighborhood in Fairfield, Connecticut that is affluent. During the spring, the town is ablaze with beautiful dogwood and cherry blooms. The iconic Greenfield Hill Congregational Church and adjacent Timothy Dwight Park are great viewing spots.
Hollister House Garden (Washington, Connecticut)
- Address: 300 Nettleton Hollow Rd, Washington, CT 06793
- Directions: HERE
The Hollister Homestead is a historic house in Washington, Connecticut, that was built in 1770. It is a well-known example of Georgian architecture in the area. The Hollister House Garden is located on the 25-acre property. The garden, founded by George Schoellkopf in 1979, is a traditional English garden. George, the estate’s owner, sought to establish a public garden that would compliment the historic residence. The garden is full of well-kept hedges, exotic flowers, and lush vegetation. Beautiful hues, fresh smells, and ever-changing blossoms thrive in the garden.
During the spring, visitors will be able to see a wide range of beautiful blooms! Hellebores and daffodils bloom in late April in the garden. Tulips and forget-me-nots bloom in May. Then, starting in June, peonies and roses begin to bloom.
The current owners are George and Hollister House Garden Inc., a non-profit organization. George Schoellkopf signed an irrevocable agreement with the Garden Conservancy and Hollister House Garden Inc. in 2005 to donate the entire property, including the house, garden, and twenty-five acres, to Hollister House Garden Inc. either during his lifetime or through his will.
Wickham Park (Manchester, Connecticut)
- Address: 1329 Middle Turnpike W, Manchester, CT 06040
- Directions: HERE
Wickham Park is a private, nonprofit organization that operates 280 acres of land in Manchester and East Hartford, Connecticut. The park offers open fields, forests, pond, picnic spaces, sports facilities, and 10 themed gardens. The spring is one of the best times to view the flowers in the park. In late May and early April, the Rhododendron Garden puts on a spectacular show of over 130 rhododendrons and azaleas. There are also beautiful trees that bloom, and the park hosts a Spring Tree Tour every year in late May. Daffodils, tulips, and lilacs can also be found around the park.
Each car that enters Wickham Park is charged a modest fee. From the first weekend in April until the final weekend in October, the park is open seven days a week.
Elizabeth Park (Hartford, Connecticut)
- Address: 1561 Asylum Ave, West Hartford, CT 06117
- Directions: HERE
Elizabeth Park is a city park in the Connecticut towns of Hartford and West Hartford. Just over a hundred acres of formal gardens, open space, recreational facilities, walking loops, and the Pond House Café make up Elizabeth Park. It’s even listed on the National Historic Register!
The Elizabeth Park Conservancy was founded in 1977 as a non-profit organization. The organization teamed together with the city of Hartford to rehabilitate the park, which was created in 1897 but had fallen into ruin. The Helen S Kaman Rose Garden is the focal point of the duo’s efforts to maintain, preserve, and develop Elizabeth Park.
Elizabeth Park has beautiful tulip displays in the early spring. Roses blossom later in the season, and they are gorgeous too! Elizabeth Park is open to the public 365 days a year, from dawn to sunset, and is completely free. There are no admission costs, however, gifts to the conservancy are gratefully accepted. You can learn more about the park at elizabethparkct.org
Bushnell Park (Hartford, Connecticut)
- Address: 1 Jewell St, Hartford, CT 06103
- Directions: HERE
Bushnell Park is one of the best places in Connecticut to observe cherry blossoms. The park is a public arboretum with rare and native trees that is open to the public. Every year in the spring, the cherry trees bloom and turn a vibrant pink color. Late April and early May are the greatest months to see cherry blossoms.
Colorblends House & Spring Garden (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
- Address: 893 Clinton Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604
- Directions: HERE
The Colorblends House & Spring Garden is located along Clinton Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The restored 1903 Colonial Revival mansion boasts a lovely spring garden that includes snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, tulips, and other spring-flowering bulbs. They bloom in abundance in April and May on the land. Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs in Bridgeport collaborated with renowned Dutch garden designer Jacqueline van der Kloet to create this great little garden.
From April 1 to May 8, the Colorblends House & Spring Garden is open. The site is open to the public without charge.
Laurel Ridge Daffodils (Litchfield, Connecticut)
- Address: Wigwam Rd, Litchfield, CT 06759
- Directions: HERE
The Laurel Ridge Farm on Wigwam Road in Litchfield, Connecticut, boasts one of the most outstanding daffodil displays in the state. There are acres and acres of beautiful yellow daffodils covering the gently undulating terrain. There is also a beautiful pond and numerous walking pathways.
This daffodil field is maintained by the Laurel Ridge Foundation and is open to the public for viewing each spring. Virginia and Remy Morosani planted the first flowers in 1941. The ideal time to see the daffodils at Laurel Ridge in late April to early May. Throughout the spring weekends, the farm can get very crowded, so come early or during the week.
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