From cultivated gardens to national forests, Asheville is surrounded by gardens, parks and forests where you can find a spectrum of colorful wildflowers and blooming trees and shrubs.
Spring Gardens
Biltmore Estate
This impressive garden was designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of New York’s Central Park. Throughout the season you will see lavish displays of azaleas, Dutch tulips (50,000 to be exact), Japanese magnolia, buttery narcissus, Oriental cherry trees, French lilacs, and Dogwoods. On weekends in April and May, the Estate celebrates the season in grand style with Festival of Flowers. Enjoy guided Garden Walks, Musical Vignettes on the Italian Garden stage, and other musical performances.
The Botanical Gardens at Asheville
Organized in 1960 by the Asheville Garden Club, and designed by Doan Ogden, a nationally-known landscape artist, the Botanical Gardens are dedicated to preserving the native plants and flowers of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Events are scheduled throughout the year, and Garden tours are easily arranged.
North Carolina Arboretum
Located within the 6,300-acre Bent Creek Experimental Forest and surrounded by the 480,000-acre Pisgah National Forest, the North Carolina Arboretum is nestled in one of the most beautiful natural settings in the United States. Boasting several showcase gardens, including a Plants of Promise garden, a Quilt Garden, a Stream Garden and a Spring Garden, and a state-of-the-art Greenhouse, the North Carolina Arboretum, is the place to be in the spring.
Other Nearby Parks and Forests
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to over 100 species of trees and 1,400 other kinds of flowering plants. Nearly 200 species of wildflowers bloom across the Smoky Mountains beginning in March at the lower elevations and ending in October when cold weather reaches the high ridges. Flowering shrubs such as rhododendron, mountain-laurel, and azaleas are found in abundance in the park, most commonly on peaks and ridges.
Chimney Rock Park
Due to great variations in environmental conditions, such as topography, rocks, soils, availability of moisture and exposure to sunlight, more than 550 species of vascular plants, including 32 ferns and fern allies grow in Chimney Rock Park. More than 2.5 miles of hiking trails provide a great opportunity to observe wildflowers, flowering shrubs, and trees that are over 300 years old. The top of Chimney Rock, a height of 2280-feet above sea level, provides visitors a 75-mile view of Lake Lure, Hickory Nut Gorge and the Carolina Piedmont.
Grandfather Mountain
Grandfather Mountains is the highest peak in the Blue Ridge range and a United Nations Biosphere Reserve. At 5,964 feet in elevation, Grandfather towers as much as 4,000 feet above the surrounding region. The Mountain is habitat for 66 rare and endangered species, 25 of which are critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity. Literally hundreds of varieties of wildflowers begin appearing at Grandfather Mountain in late March and April and continue blooming through November. A day of special programs and guided walks focusing on spring wildflowers is offered as part of the regular attraction admission on the first Saturday in May.
HandMade in America has published Farms, Gardens and Countryside Trails of Western North Carolina, a guidebook to lead you through the region. The book is available for purchase by contacting our gift shop.
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