The Incredible Flower Road Trip Through New Hampshire Is The Ultimate Spring Adventure
By Ken MacGray|Published April 22, 2024
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Ken MacGray
Author
Hey! I'm a freelance writer and guidebook author. I've authored "New Hampshire's 52 With A View - A Hiker's Guide", serve as editor of Appalachian Mountain Club's "Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide", and and am co-editor of the "White Mountain Guide", also for AMC. I'm currently beginning work on the 6th Edition of AMC's Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, which will be published in 2025. I live in southern New Hampshire and can usually be found wandering throughout the state's mountains and forests.
I am so happy that warmer weather is finally here and that the signs of winter are fading. Color is returning to the world as the trees start to leaf out and seasonal wildflowers begin to reawaken from their slumber. If you also enjoy seeing this color return, here’s a fun road trip you can take to see wildflowers on display in public gardens and other spaces. The entire trip to the destinations described below will be a little over two hours of driving time and will encompass an 86-mile tour across southern New Hampshire. Enjoy!
Our wildflower tour begins with a step across the pond to this English-themed garden that encapsulates a lifetime collection of flowers and plants, plus greenhouses, ponds, and friendly farm animals. This is a peaceful place to wander the narrow paths and to provide inspiration for budding gardeners. For more information, visit the Tarbin Gardens website.
Explore these dazzling gardens arranged in magnificently designed displays. The gardens are open to the public with no appointment necessary. Simply walk in and be captivated by these lush and colorful spaces. For more information, visit the Pleasant View Gardens website.
Art and nature come together in this unusual and beautiful green space. The property is notable for its landscape design, which fuses sculpture with unusual specimens of trees, shrubs, and perennials that add up to over 1,000 different plant species. For more information, visit the Bedrock Gardens website.
Once part of the summer estate of Alvan Fuller on New Hampshire's seacoast, Fuller Gardens is now a beautiful public botanical garden. In addition to spring wildflowers, you'll also find hundreds of plant varieties that bloom year-round, as well as a Japanese garden and a tropical conservatory. For more information, visit the Fuller Gardens website.
End the day in the historic seaport city of Portsmouth at its premier public park. Donated to the city in the 1950s by Josie and Sarah Prescott, this waterfront park features extensive beds of flowers -including some that only appear during the summer. For more information, visit the City of Portsmouth website.
Since this excursion ends in one of the state’s most scenic cities, perhaps consider making an overnight stay out of the trip or at least grab a bit to eat before the drive home.
