It’s no wonder that Western Connecticut is a magnet for flower lovers each spring. Ten acres of daffodils, seven acres of peonies, a neighborhood where thousands of dogwoods bloom and a famous nursery’s multi-acre display garden make for a spectacular start to the season in this scenic region of the state. And all of the displays are open free to the public.
The beauty begins early in April at the Laurel Ridge Foundation near Litchfield. The 10,000 daffodil bulbs sowed here in 1941 have multiplied many times to form a sea of yellow and white carpeting acres of woodland fields. Everyone is invited to enjoy the scene during blooming season through May, when grounds are open from dawn to dusk. The area is closed the rest of the year. The Laurel Ridge Foundation is located on Wigwam Road, off Route 254 in Northfield, near Litchfield. See details at litchfielddaffodils.com
Just in time for a special Mothers Day outing, the 81st annual Dogwood Festival May 6 to 8 will light up the historic Greenfield Hill neighborhood in Fairfield. Plantings that began way back in 1705 have grown to prodigious numbers that canopy the byways of this lovely area. Besides the dogwoods, the festival offers New England artisans and crafters, an art show, a tag sale, a plant boutique, live music, and children’s activities. Greenfieldhillschurch.com
Mid-May brings the annual Peony Festival, a Technicolor floral show in Thomaston, where Cricket Hill Gardens is celebrating its 27th anniversary as a prize source for these big, beautiful blossoms. The family-owned gardens are a prime source for rare Chinese tree peonies. among the largest and most colorful of all flowers. Over 400 varieties can be seen in the seven acre peony display garden, along with a demonstration orchard of fruit trees such as Asian pears, pawpaws, persimmons, quinces, and heirloom apples. Tree peonies are expected to bloom this year from the third week of May to early June, followed by herbaceous peonies and intersectional peonies, to the third week of June. The public is invited during this peak season, when Cricket Hill will be open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. treepeony.com
Litchfield’s White Flower Farm, one of American’s leading mail order sources for bulbs and perennials, opens its many acres of extravagant display gardens with tulips and other seasonal blooms beginning in April. It remains beautiful with changing seasonal displays through October. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Whiteflowerfarm.com
For more information about spring gardens and a free copy of Unwind, a full-color, 152-page booklet detailing what to do and see, and where to stay, shop and dine in the Litchfield Hills and Fairfield County in Western Connecticut, contact the Western Connecticut Visitors Bureau, PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759, (860) 567-45606, or visit their web site at www.visitwesternct.com
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