Nearby Gardens Offer a Tantalizing Taste of Spring
- Vanessa Orr
- Mar 31
- 4 min read
April showers bring May flowers, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait to enjoy the natural world. Several nearby gardens offer wonderful outdoor experiences—or even year-round indoor plant collections—to put you in the mood for all the greenery that spring will soon bring.
The Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, for example, begins its spring/summer hours on April 1, allowing visitors to enjoy 65 acres of gardens and woodlands starting at 9 a.m. This year marks the garden’s 10th anniversary, and it is kicking off the festivities on April 4 at 10:30 a.m. with a free morning at the garden and a ceremonial tree planting. Numerous special events are planned, including a class to create a springtime floral planter, natural egg dyeing, an exploration of native plants, and an Artisan Market on April 27. The garden also offers a variety of wellness programs, including Tai Chi Qigong, forest bathing, community acupuncture, and chair yoga. The garden is located in Oakdale, PA. Learn more at www.PittsburghBotanicGarden.org.
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, located just four miles from downtown Pittsburgh in Oakland, offers year-round opportunities for those who love flowers, plants, art, and more. Founded in 1893, visitors can explore the 14-room Victorian glass conservatory along with 23 gardens. In March 2025, Phipps was named the winner of the 2025 Newsweek Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Botanical Garden. Spring events include ”Blooms for Every Room” (through April 20), highlighting quintessential spring blooms such as tulips, pansies, and lilies. Be sure to visit Phipps in the summer as well for the ”Jungle Quest” summer flower show (opening May 4), featuring carefully crafted topiary animals, including a larger-than-life orangutan, African python, crocodiles, elephants, toucan, flamingo, and more. www.phipps.conservatory.org
The West Virginia Botanic Garden spans 85 wooded acres on the former site of the Tibbs Run Reservoir, which supplied water to Morgantown until 1969. A gravel walkway makes it easy to traverse the only botanic garden in the state, and there are 4.5 miles of trails, many less than a mile in length. Visitors can explore numerous gardens, ranging from a butterfly garden filled with colorful and fragrant blooms that attract pollinators to a shade garden, secret garden, and rhododendron garden. Only an hour and a half from Pittsburgh, it’s a great way to spend a day exploring a different state! There is no cost to visit the garden, though a $5 donation is recommended. www.wvbg.org
You don’t have to be a Penn State student to enjoy the Arboretum at Penn State, featuring the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens, located on the university campus. The botanic gardens, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Pittsburgh, include more than 10 acres of themed garden spaces and another 14 acres of natural areas, including a wildflower trail, prairie restoration site, and walking and biking paths. Favorite stops include the Rose and Fragrance Garden, Oasis Garden, Pollinator and Bird Garden, and the Childhood’s Gate Children’s Garden, always a popular spot for young visitors. The garden recently introduced a mobile-friendly Arboretum Explorer tool that allows visitors (and those at home) to explore the living plant collections in the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens, which represent more than 117 families, 392 genera, and 1,380 species of plants.
Hershey isn’t just for chocolate lovers! Originally built in 1927 as a “nice garden of roses” at the behest of Milton Hershey, the Hershey Gardens have since expanded into 23 acres of floral splendor, complete with a hands-on Children’s Garden, a Conservatory, and a Butterfly Atrium. There is even a Zoology Zone featuring reptiles, insects, and more from around the world. Overlooking the town of Hershey, the gardens are located about three and a half hours from Pittsburgh. April events include guided walks and the opening of the art exhibit ”The Future is Botanical” by the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators. Before visiting, check out the ”What’s in Bloom” page to learn more about the plants you’ll see. www.hersheygardens.org.
The United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., is about four and a half hours from Pittsburgh, but it is well worth the drive to see an amazing array of tropical plants grown within a 93-foot-high glass dome. Standing on the mezzanine, you can look over the wild jungle canopy below—but leave your jacket behind because it can get toasty in there! Outside, visitors can explore acres of gardens, including a Rose Garden, Regional Garden, and First Ladies Water Garden. Free guided tours are available, and visitors can also take a cell phone tour to learn more about the exhibits. Admission is free, and the garden is open every day of the year. Visit before April 27 to see ”Orchids: Masters of Deception,” which showcases a changing display of specimens from the U.S. Botanic Garden and Smithsonian Gardens’ extensive orchid collections. www.usbg.gov.
Why not enjoy man-made art while experiencing many of nature’s wonders all in one place? The Brandywine River Museum of Art Wildflower and Native Plant Gardens, located about a five-hour drive from Pittsburgh in Chadds Ford, PA, are designed to connect art and nature by featuring numerous plants displayed in their natural woodland, wetland, floodplain, or meadow settings. Blooms begin in early April with bloodroot, Virginia bluebells, blue phlox, creeping phlox, and wood poppies. Inside the museum, visitors can admire the incredible artwork of three generations of the Wyeth family and other influential artists. www.brandywine.org.
Ask any gardener to list their favorite gardens, and Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, almost always makes the cut. Visitors who make the roughly five-hour drive from Pittsburgh can enjoy more than 1,100 acres of horticultural magnificence, as well as the grand 1921 Conservatory. While the main fountain gardens will not be turned on until May 15, there are still incredible sights to see, especially with the opening of different phases of ”Longwood Reimagined,” which includes stunning new gardens, glasshouses, landscapes, and dining options. Highlights include the new 32,000-square-foot West Conservatory, the relocated Cascade Garden, the outdoor Bonsai Courtyard, and the enhanced century-old Orchid House. www.longwoodgardens.org
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