Signs of spring are around every corner – the birds are chirping, and the sun is setting later in the evening. And if you look closely, the first spring flowers are peaking their heads out of the ground and buds, too! Soon enough, Boston will be in full bloom, so here’s a guide on the best places to see flowers in bloom this season. Keep your eyes peeled for new flashes of color every week!
1. Boston Common and Public Garden
Founded in 1634, Boston Common is the oldest public park in America. While you might start to see some greenery in the Common this March, spring flowers like pansies and tulips will start to bloom mid-April right around Marathon Monday! You’ll also catch some cherry blossoms later in the month, too. Then, in mid-May the famous swan boats will arrive to take you on a tour around Boston’s most beloved park in full bloom!
Find it at 4 Charles St., Boston
2. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Even if it’s still too early to see your favorite blooms outside, you can always bet that you’ll see gorgeous seasonal flowers in the Gardner courtyard! The interior courtyard rotates a selection of seasonal plants almost every month. In March, you can see elegant orchids, and in April, bright orange hanging nasturtiums will be on display.
Find the Gardner Museum at 25 Evans Way, Boston, MA
3. Back Bay
Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood is famous for its lovely magnolia trees signaling the arrival of spring. From early to late April, you’ll find magnolias in every shape, size, and color, from tiny star-shaped blossoms to brilliant pink blooms as big as saucers. The best streets to spot them are Beacon Street, Marlborough Street, and Commonwealth Avenue.
4. Charles River Esplanade
Washington, D.C. isn’t the only US city where you’ll find stunning pink cherry blossom trees in bloom this spring. The Esplanade along the Charles River is home to dozens of these beautiful pink trees, particularly between the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge near Arlington Street and the ramp to Massachusetts Avenue. While every year is different, you can expect to see these trees in bloom in mid-to-late April.
5. Tower Hill Botanic Garden
Located just outside the city in Boylston, Tower Hill is known for its fields of thousands of daffodils. These bright yellow flowers are already starting to shoot up, and they’ll reach full bloom around the end of April and into May. In addition to seeing the daffodills, you can visit Tower Hill’s apple orchard, beautiful moss steps, and pond teeming with local wildlife.
Find it at 11 French Dr, Boylston, MA 01505.
6. Rose Kennedy Greenway
The Greenway is a favorite for Boston families, and for good reason. With fountains, a carousel, 18 food trucks, and hundreds of flowers all around, it’s the perfect spot for a springtime stroll. From Chinatown’s bamboo garden to the wildflower meadows filled with black-eyed Susans, you’ll be sure to catch some blooms here starting in April and continuing throughout the spring and summer seasons.
7. Arnold Arboretum
Harvard’s beloved Arnold Arboretum has a beautiful selection of trees year-round, but it’s most popular in early May when the lilacs bloom near the path on Bussey Hill. Their annual Lilac Sunday always falls on Mother’s Day (which is May 12 this year), and it’s a gorgeous display of springtime blooms.
Find it at 125 Arborway, Boston, MA.
8. Beacon Hill
Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood hosts a tour once a year of the houses’ gardens, and the Hidden Gardens tour is set to return this year on May 16. Whether rain or shine, you’ll have access to see the fabulous private gardens of the Beacon Hill Garden Club, and they’re certainly a sight to behold.