Each April, Blithewold opens its gates to welcome visitors just as springtime begins, matched with a wondrous display of Daffodils. A diverse collection of nearly 150,000 blooms, all 13 Daffodil divisions are represented encompassing over 100 varieties. Each fall we expand our collection planting thousands of new bulbs to offer new blooms for discovery. Daffodils are just the beginning with tens of thousands of other spring ephemerals, tulips, frittilaria and more providing an ever changing display of the first flowers of spring all across this 33 acre seaside estate.
Families should plan to join us for school vacation week which is filled not only with flowers, but lots of fun-for-the-whole-family programming that celebrates springtime and our favorite yellow-flower friends. Come and stroll the grounds at your leisure. Or visit our program pages to register for afternoon tea, concert or workshop that’s just right for you and your favorite group of friends.
“We see daffodils, and we feel lighter. We sense we now walk in springtime. … And nowhere does the daffodil beckon us to come see its show more than at Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum in Bristol, Rhode Island.” — Yankee Magazine, April 2023, Sunny-Side Up – Mel Allen
Daffodils are just the beginning!
But daffodils are just the beginning of the springtime parade of ephemeral blooms, bulbs, and blossoms. Watch our social media for “Don’t Miss” moments – photos of the gardens and grounds, showing you what Mother Nature is featuring on any given day.
Springtime treats include:
April – Dozens of varieties of Daffodils
Early May – Star Magnolia, Quince, Spirea, Flowering Cherry, Primroses, Corylopsis, Hyacinth, Balkan Anemone, Enkianthus, Honeysuckle, Sweet Shrub, Weigela, and Viburnum
Mid-May – Tulips, Magnolia, Crabapple, Cherries, Primrose, Lilac, Lily of the Valley, Trillium, Mayapple, Dove Tree, Witch Alder, Woodland Phlox, Sweet Woodruff, Spanish Bluebells, and Euphorbia
Late May – Jack in the Pulpit, Ornamental Onions, Columbines, Ferns, Lupines, Japanese Snowbell, Campanula, Nepeta, Forget-Me-Nots, Violas, Summer Snowflake, Sicilian Honey Garlic, and Deutzia
