extensive outdoor bulb gardens in Western Mass?

April 9, 2023 7:52 AM

I'm looking for large outdoor (i.e. not greenhouse, I already did those this season) gardens that have nice (ideally *extensive*) spring bulb displays (daffodils, tulips, irises, etc) and flowering trees (magnolia, cherry) in Western Mass. I'm near Amherst/Northampton but willing to drive a bit for someplace nice. In PA I really liked Chanticleer, something similar would be great.
posted by needs more cowbell to Travel & Transportation around Northampton, MA (9 answers total)

The Naumkeag Daffodil and Tulip Festival opens soon.
posted by brianogilvie at 8:01 AM on April 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

I don't know if it's large enough for you but The Bridge of Flowers in Stockbridge is pretty nice. The website has a list of what's blooming and when.
posted by bondcliff at 8:09 AM on April 9, 2023

About an hour and 15 to Tower Hill Botanical gardens.
posted by ReluctantViking at 8:34 AM on April 9, 2023

Wicked Tulips Farm has 3 locations and all are about 90 min from Amherst.
posted by shw at 10:02 AM on April 9, 2023

The Bridge of Flowers is in Shelburne Falls and it’s not really a bulb garden at all.
posted by bendy at 12:50 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Yes, Shelburne Falls is where the Bridge of Flowers is. I'm not sure why I put Stockbridge up there. Too many S towns in Mass.
posted by bondcliff at 8:28 AM on April 12, 2023

Don’t even start on the Ws.
posted by bendy at 12:17 AM on April 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Maybe something from this blog post, "Best Spring Bulb Displays in the Northeast 2023"? The Jones Library in Amherst just posted it on their facebook page.
posted by daisyace at 6:37 PM on April 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Coming back to this almost a year later/looking forward to the next season, I want to report back a bit. I ended up going to the Naumkeag Daffodil and Tulip Festival and found it underwhelming (not that much of the listed acreage was landscaped with flowers, and it didn't feel artful at all, just like someone dumped a bunch of bulbs in a plot), especially for something with a steep ($20 I think?) entry fee. Maybe I've been spoiled by what I'd seen in Baltimore and Philadelphia and surrounding towns.

I'm going to check out other places (still to be determined) this year.
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:07 AM on March 3