Like Being in Wonderland

Europe

Located in Buckinghamshire, England Dockey Wood is a lovely forest on the edge of the Ashridge Estate. In the springtime it becomes magical when the woodland floor becomes vibrant with an abundance of bluebells blooming in blue and purple hues. To enjoy this you’ll find many walking trails.

The Ashridge Estate in the Chilterns Hills is known to be one of the best places in England to see blooming bluebells. Bluebells are a protected species.

At the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Conwy, Wales you’ll find the amazing and beautiful Laburnum Arch. During the spring the golden flowers from the branches of the laburnum tree, create a tunnel of blossoming beauty. This archway is 180-feet-long and is said to be the longest in the UK. In the spring the flowers burst forth from the branches and drape down like pearls and have been nicknamed “Golden Rain.” To see this amazing happening you should visit the botanic garden in late May or early June.

The Hallerbos or Blue Forest is located in Halle, Belgium. In the spring from late April to May the woods have a floral carpet made up of beautiful bluebells. You can walk winding paths to enjoy this beautiful happening. There are deer and rabbits making their home in this forest. You walk upon the bluebell carpet among oak, ash, pine, beech, giant sequoia, and larch trees. The forest also is home to squirrels, foxes and almost 100 different species of birds.

The Bloemen Route or Flower Route stretches for 25 miles through Dutch tulip country in Haarlem, Netherlands. This route winds its way in a rainbow of colors created by Dutch tulips. It begins in Haarlem and ends in Leiden.

The famous town of Lisse, is home to the world-renowned Keukenhof Gardens and are in the heart of it all. The best way to enjoy the beauty is to follow the route by bike.

Lotus Island is located on Lake Superior in Mantua, Italy. This is one of the three lakes surrounding Mantua with the largest expanse of lotus flowers found outside of Asia. This floating island is divided by small waterways that let boats cross. The lotus flowers rise up from the water with large leaves and blossoms in pale pink and white. These flowers are native to Asia and were established in Italy in the early 20th century. The best time to enjoy the floating lotus are in July and August.

Asia

In early May in The Higashimokoto Shibazakura Park you can see an amazing carpet of pink across the hillside in Higashimokoto, Japan. This is the largest area of planted moss in Japan. Each spring about 800,000 shibazakura flowers bloom creating a thick carpet of colorful petals. Footpaths wind their way through the “pink moss.” A festival is held every year in celebration of all this beauty.

Un Chau Estate Flower Tunnel is located in Kowloon, Hong Kong in south China. It becomes like a secret garden with the flowering tunnel covered in bougainvillea. It blooms with a ceiling of pink leaves and tiny white flowers which grow on vines. It is just amazing walking through this tunnel between March and April.

North America

The US

In the US capital Washington DC you’ll find The Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens with incredibly lovely lily ponds just off the eastern branch of the Anacostia River. In 1938, the National Park Service acquired the gardens which were previously a private business exporting lotus flowers across the country. The gardens were established by Walter Shaw, a Civil War veteran who lost his right arm fighting for the Union. Over several years Shaw dug, deepened, and expanded a series of ponds. This became an aquatic garden suitable for flowers like the lotus. The business became the Shaw Lily Pond Company operating out of 45 square ponds. When the business came to an end the lily gardens were preserved and added to Anacostia Park.

Kelleher Rose Garden in Boston, Massachusetts is open from mid-April through October. The garden dates back to 1931 and has over 1,500 roses. It is an English-style garden

The Bridge of Flowers is located in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. It is considered to be “the only one of its kind in the world.” The bridge is 400-feet-long and is covered with flowers that bloom from April to October. There are 500 varieties of flowers, vines, and shrubs. The bridge was built for trolleys in 1908 and when the railway went out of business in 1929 it was reborn as the Bridge of Flowers.

Lilacia Park is a botanical garden outside of Chicago in Lombard, Illinois. The garden has over 300 varieties of lilacs. The collection of flowers belonged to Colonel William Plum and his wife Helen. They moved to the area in 1869. The couple purchased land and planted lilacs. After a trip to the celebrated gardens of Victor Lemoine in France they returned with two lilac cuttings which bloomed and are still a part of today’s collection. There are 1,500 lilac bushes of over 300 varieties in Lilacia Park and can be found in full bloom during April and May.

The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden RSBG is found in Federal Way, Washington. This is a suburb between Seattle and Tacoma. The garden has world’s largest collection of rhododendrons. There are more than 800 of the known 1200 species and you can see rhododendron trees rising up to 100 feet in height, This is not a well-manicured botanical garden instead it is located in a Pacific Northwestern forest with Douglas firs, cedars, and hemlocks. Besides rhododendrons there are rare Himalayan blue poppies.

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is located to Shakespearean Island in Portland, Oregon. The island is surrounded by the waters of Crystal Lake. Besides have many colorful rhododendrons it is also a wildlife refuge with ducks, geese, red-winged blackbirds, and scrub jays. The garden includes over 2,500 rhododendrons and other plants with fountains and winding trails.

In the Willamette Valley in Woodburn Oregon you’ll find the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, This is one of the largest tulip farms in the Northwest of the US. The tulips bloom in many rainbow colors and there are around 80 varieties of tulips. Mount Hood makes an impressive background. There is an annual spring festival when the tulips bloom between late March and early May.

Calla Lilly Valley is located in Carmel-By-the-Sea in California. There are many lovely flowers in this little valley and a creek flowing into the ocean. You can follow the Garrapata Trail toward a bluff that overlooks the beach. Then down a few wooden steps into the valley and see the beauty of thousands of blooming white calla lilies.

In Sierra Madre Mountain Range in California you can see an amazing display of lavender. Some call it “Lavender Lady” the largest flowering plant in the world. Go there in the spring to see over a million purple blossoms which grew with seeds from China. The plant is referred to as “wistaria.” Once a year it is celebrated with the annual Wistaria Festival. It is a wonder to walk under the sprawling canopy of these purple flowers.