In search of May flowers

It’s been a rainy April this year, which is in keeping both with New England weather and proverb wisdom. Which means, according to both the proverb and local patterns, that May flowers are on their way.

I wish this yay! sign were on my street. Thanks, Samuel Regan Asante for the pic (from Unsplash).

So, I’ve made some flower plans. One of my favorite spring/summer activities is visiting botanical gardens at various times of spring-summer-early fall.

As a warm-up (as it were), the Massachusetts Horticultural Society is hosting Tulip Mania, which is predicted to reach maximum frenzy this week. I’m planning on going before the weekend tulip crowd hits.

You can look, but you can’t pick. However, they’ll sell you some cut tulips, which I will certainly be doing.

Once May is properly in place, it’s time for a trip to the Blithewold gardens in Bristol, Rhode Island. There’s a big house there, too, but I’m all about the gorgeous flowers, green plants and artistic landscaping, complete with huuuuge pottery vessels made by this guy. You can see what I mean below:

A garden path at Blithewold with a 5-foot-tall pottery vessel standing alongside.

If you’re interested either in more details about this garden or Procter’s pottery in situ, look here at this New York Times article.

I’ve been to Garden in the Woods, not far from my house, in late summer, but never in May. So it’s time to remedy that situation and go. It features native New England plants in 45 acres of woodland. If you can’t make it in person, here’s where to go for a virtual tour. And here’s a sample of what I’ll be experiencing in person.

Azaleas in bloom on a stony and green path in the woods.

While doing some low-key sleuthing for this post, I discovered that there’s such a thing as garden tourism. There’s even a guidebook on it for those headed to New England. Who knew?

According to these sources, the mothership of botanical gardens is Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. It is vast and complex and beautiful and exerts its own garden-gravitational force on all who venture near it. I’m planning on venturing there while on my way to South Carolina to visit family in June. I hope I don’t disappear into their rich and multicolored abundance of flora. If you don’t hear from me, at least you’ll know where to look.

Readers, are any of you botanical garden fans? What are some of your favorites? I’d love to put some of them on my to-visit list. And in return, I’ll post pictures from my various flowery visits this spring and summer.