From cherry blossoms to tip-toeing through tulips, the Garden State truly lives up to its name. A flower powerhouse, New Jersey boasts state parks exploding with colorful blooms as well as cultivated arboretums rife with a variety of perennials. This spring, put the petal to the metal and visit nature at its most beautiful.
Essex County Branch Brook Park
Newark
Fantastic flower: Cherry Blossoms
Various landscape luminaries contributed to the design of Essex County Branch Brook Park — a stunning example of the late-19th century City Beautiful movement, which sought to elevate urban spaces through naturalistic design. Though best known for Bloomfest, its annual cherry blossom extravaganza in April, in-the-know flower aficionados also make sure to explore the park’s numerous formal gardens, too.
What you’ll see: Join the festival crowds (April 13, 11 am to 5 pm) to experience 5,000+ stunning cherry blossom trees (more than in Washington D.C.!) blanketing the 350-acre park in bounteous pink. Eighteen varieties allow for staggered blooming so the park is glorious well into May. It’s also worth a visit in early spring to see azaleas and Lenton roses in the Kiyofumi Sakaguchi Memorial Grove Garden, Korean Spice viburnum and daffodils in the Kiyo Path Meander, and the irises on Concourse Hill that bloom late April into May.
Visit: Daily dawn to 10 pm. Free.
Reeves-Reed Arboretum
Summit
Fantastic flower: Forget-Me-Nots
If it feels like you’ve stepped back in time, it’s by design. The Reeves-Reed Arboretum exemplifies an elegance and grandeur befitting its early 20th-century provenance, with garden rooms and landscapes designed by noted figures in the field. Today, it’s not just a nod to the past—it’s a vibrant hub for education, arts, culture, and conservation.
What you’ll see: Bask in a sea of Saucer magnolias, Virginia bluebells, Forget-Me-Nots, spirea, and Japanese andromeda blooming in April, while May brings viburnum on the woodland trails, bleeding hearts in the nature grove, and the Azalea Garden (with its surrounding flowering trees) in peak proliferation. Love a party? Come celebrate Daffodil Day Festival—an annual soiree featuring crafts, food, goats, and 50,000 bulbs in full bloom (April 13, 11 am to 3 pm).
Visit: Open daily, 7 am-7 pm through October 31; check for off-season hours. $5 donations suggested.
Drumthwacket
Princeton
Fabulous flower: Red Bud
Drumthwacket’s lavish Italianate Garden went through two major restorations: in the 1990s when the Florios moved into the official residence of the Governor of New Jersey and in 2020 when the gardens were given a sustainability-and engagement-focused update in partnership with the Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability at Rutgers University. Today, architecture, history, and horticulture lovers alike can explore the art-and-antique-filled manor and then stroll through the grand statuary-filled gardens, accessible through the brick patio exit.
What you’ll see: A burst of brunneras, tulips, daffodils and hostas greet you on each side as you descend the steps to the main garden walkway which separates the two parterres. Keep going and you’ll see Red Bud trees shadowing pretty peonies expanding into the distance, as well as the garden’s four beloved Magnolia trees which bloom in early June. Fragrant lavender also abounds in April in the Rose and the Star Gardens.
Visit: Free public tours (ages 8+) are held most Wednesdays; advanced registration is required.
Peony’s Envy
Bernardsville, Basking Ridge
Fantastic flower: Peony
Throughout the year, Peony’s Envy sells bare root plants to professional and amateur gardeners, hosts lectures and classes for would-be growers, and showcases its expansive offerings at flower shows and horticultural events. But for six short weeks starting April 25, the nursery opens its Bernardsville Display Garden and Basking
Ridge Cut Flower Fields to the public. The former offers daily browsing and a weekly Friday night picnic, among other soirees; the latter allows visitors to pick their own peonies ($4 per stem) while enjoying the stunning scene.
What you’ll see: Take in a splendorous color array from pale blush to deep red, with more than 700 different cultivars blooming in the following sequence: woodland, tree, herbaceous and intersectional. Get lost among the lush, showy blooms or simply sit amid the beauty. Ticketed guests ($10 fee) are invited to take cell phone snaps, but serious shutterbugs must purchase a $35 photography ticket and visit between 3:30 pm and 5 pm (when the light is just perfect).
Visit: The Garden is open daily from 10 am-5 pm; the Fields are open from 10 am – 4 pm.
Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
Upper Montclair
Fantastic flower: Iris
A dazzling living museum devoted exclusively to France’s national flower, artists, students, and romantics alike converge each opening day (May 15) to revel in the rainbow spectacle. Intertwined with Montclair’s long history of conservation and community, this historical garden has flourished in this spot adjacent to Mountainside Park for nearly 100 years.
What you’ll see: Bestowed with fanciful names like Gingerbread Girl, Champagne Waltz, and Bang, there are more than 14,000 eye-catching irises in thousands of varieties during each peak season, although visitors are welcome to visit in late April to experience a mix of blossoms and unfurling buds. Snaking displays allow for close consideration of each intricately patterned and colored colorful flower. Pack a picnic and bring your sketch pad—it’s a hot spot for creatives.
Visit: 10 am to 6 pm; $10 suggested donation.
The Frelinghuysen Arboretum
Morris Township
Fantastic flower: Hellebore
Built as a bucolic summer home for the Frelinghuysen family in the late 1800s, the 1960s saw the grand estate transformed into a 127-acre arboretum that was bequeathed to Morris County in 1971. Today, it exists to foster engagement with the natural world through a stunning array of thematic gardens and trails, a 3,000-book horticultural reference library, interactive gardening events and other enlightening programs.
What you’ll see: Take a 30-minute Get-to-Know-You stroll to discover around 2,000 specimen trees and unique themed areas, like the Elmer O. Lampi Shade Garden, filled with Jacob’s Ladder, bleeding heart and hellebore. As you explore, look for winter hazel, peonies, daffodils, tulips, narcissus and more spring blooms. Finish at the whispering bench in Eger Memorial Fern Garden, where you can relax and admire the cherry trees near the picnic-friendly Great Lawn.
Visit: Open daily, 8 am to dusk. Free.
Laurelwood Arboretum
Wayne
Fantastic flower: Magnolia
The secret is out. This bucolic outdoor oasis nestled within the private Pine Lake community now draws 10,000+ visitors annually. Some come to stroll its 30 wooded acres and gorgeous gardens; others to contemplate the arboretum’s integrated sculptures created by renowned artists like Bill Barrett and Babette Bloch.
What you’ll see: Once bare branches on Magnolia, Yoshimo cherry, redbud, crabapple and pink and yellow forsythias now cascade with pastel petals, while daffodils and hyacinths adorn the grassy fields and flank gravel walkways. April flowers make way in May with brightly hued azaleas and more than 400 rhododendron hybrids and species cultivated and planted more than 60 years ago.
Visit: Open daily, 8 am to dusk. Free.
Dalton Farms
Swedesboro
Fantastic flower: Tulips
Skip the trip to the Netherlands and celebrate nature’s showiest perennials at Dalton Farm’s annual Tri-State Tulip Festival in April. A popular regional destination for immersive agritainment, festival ticket holders can enjoy a giant 15” slide (adults love it just as much as kids), climb a ropes course, tour the tulip fields via wagon ride, and go pedal boating (for an extra fee), along with other amusements. Each weekend, up to 10 food trucks serve coffee, pizza, tacos and more while local fave the BLK SHP offers brews, wine and tapas in the beer garden.
What you’ll see: There are more than one million, multi-colored tulips blanketing the 99-acre farm, preceded by a half-million daffodils that serve as spring’s sunny opening act. Frolic in the fields and snap pics for your Instagram feed or pick your own beautiful stems to create a one-of-a-kind bouquet ($2/stem; $1/10+).
Visit: Daily 10 am to 7 pm. Visit online for the opening date and ticket prices.
Georgian Court Arboretum and Gardens
Lakewood
Fantastic flower: Crabapple
Heading down the Shore? A stop at Georgian Court University is worth the detour. The one-time residence of railroad tycoon Jay Gould’s son, it was designed to resemble an English estate of the Georgian period, complete with lavish gardens. It now boasts four major historic themed gardens, along with smaller gardens throughout.
What you’ll see: Take in a mix of flowering cherry, dogwood, redbud, crabapple, and serviceberry trees; lilacs dramatically purpling the Sunken and Japanese Gardens; plus, daffodils, hyacinths, and other bulb beauties on display within the fenced gardens near the McAuley Heritage Center and the library. Come mid-May, visitors will find an explosion of color: yellow/blue irises, purple/pink rhododendrons; dozens of geranium- and marigold-filled urns in the Italian Garden; plus a plethora of peonies in the Formal Garden.
Visit: Drop-in from 8 am until dusk; private guided tours can be arranged. Free. Avoid on the college’s commencement day.
Linwood Arboretum
Linwood
Fantastic flower: Spring blooming Camellia
In less than 20 years, the Linwood Arboretum has become one of the most beloved destinations for horticulturists and nature lovers in Southern Jersey. Small but mighty at one acre, the tiny size belies an expansive selection of flora meticulously curated based on criteria including landscaping appropriateness and comparative uniqueness.
What you’ll see: A diverse selection ensures that visitors year-round can enjoy an eye-catching array of rare species, ancient survivors and in-depth representations of particular genera. April visitors may find bluestars, white lilacs, hellebores, redbud, dogwood, camilla, quince, magnolias, and witch-hazel among the spring blooms dotting the landscape. Bulbs include tulips, irises, snowdrops and grape hyacinths.
Visit: Daily from dawn to dusk. Free.
The New Jersey Botanical Garden
Ringwood State Park
Fabulous flower: Lilac
Between its nearly 100 acres of meticulously maintained gardens, 1,000 acres of surrounding woodlands, and the fairytale-like Skyland Manor which once hosted Gilded Age dignitaries, The New Jersey State Botanical Garden should be on every nature lover’s must-see list. At any time of the year, there’s something stirring here, from bird walks and guided garden tours to educational lectures and concerts al-fresco.
What you’ll see: Color, everywhere. Multiple distinct gardens and walks exist to showcase a variety of annuals, perennials, flowering trees (like the Crabapple Vista), and wildflowers, transforming the stately estate into a vibrant, buzzing paradise. Among the standouts: The Lilac Garden, which features a panoply of purple, pink, lavender, blue, white, and magenta-hued species and cultivars descended from the original 200 lilacs planted in the 1920s. The first lilac unfurls in late April; others bloom into late June.
Visit: Daily from 8 am to 8 pm; winter hours may differ. Free.
Emlen Physick Estate Museum
Cape May
Fantastic flower: Red Dahlia
Cape May’s charm is often attributed to its “painted ladies”—colorful Victorian homes built in the late 1800s that give the town a fairy-tale feel. The 18-room Emlen Physick Estate is the only Victorian museum estate in town. Along with period-specific architecture and themed events, visitors come for vibrant gardens that elevate the estate from historic to heavenly. Meticulously maintained flowerbeds, bloom-filled urns, whimsical statuary, and tranquil spots abound, nodding to the Victorian-era concept of floriography, where flowers conveyed messages words—and proper etiquette—could not.
What you’ll see: Burgundy hellebores, Lily of the Valley, pansies, ranunculus and other early spring blooms give way in May to the marigolds, red salvias, and dahlias that circle each other in the gracefully arranged Oval Garden. (Come in late spring to see bees-a-buzzing in the Pollinator Garden. For the full floral experience here and at other private gardens around town, sign up for the annual Gardens of Cape May tour on May 10 ($35 for ages 3 and up).
Visit: Open daily from dawn to dusk.
Morven Museum and Garden
Princeton
Fabulous flower: Daffodil
This gorgeous landmark estate built by Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, served as New Jersey’s Governor’s Mansion before being transformed into a destination for heritage and architectural events, educational programs and fascinating exhibits including a spring series on mid-century design. Like its successor, Morven also lays claims to multiple acres complete with centuries-old trees and revivalist gardens, plus archeological and text-based evidence highlighting the estate’s glorious garden past.
What you’ll see: Stroll through crabapple trees flowering where fruit orchards once stood. You’ll also see daffodils, symbolizing new beginnings, happiness, and joy. Don’t miss the annual plant sale which features classic spring blooms, along with fragrant and hardy heirlooms uncommon in modern nurseries.
Visit: Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. Free. Guided tours are available in-season by reservation.
Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden
Somerset
Fantastic flower: The Rose
Some things simply can’t be rushed. For example, seeing the magical Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden in all its blooming glory. Easily the star attraction at the lovely Colonial Park Gardens, a 150-acre arboretum in Somerset, this one-acre rose idyll has drawn devotees for more than 50 years who come in late May (June is the peak) to luxuriate in the beauty and heady scent of more than 3,000 roses from 300+ colorful—and delightfully named—varieties.
What you’ll see: Bask in large-bloomed, intensely fragrant heirloom roses planted along the perimeter; a middle garden boasting trellises for climbing varieties; a formal front garden featuring tree-rose-filled urns, modern hybrids, and “Grandmother’s Garden” filled with roses you’d have found pre-World War 2, plus rambling roses, miniature roses, and more. Wander the central walk, then sit under a wisteria with a rose-covered pergola nearby–it’s truly scent-sational.
Visit: Daily from April to October; check the website for hours. Suggested donation $6 per adult and $3 per senior or child.
Jennifer Kantor is a lifestyle writer and mom of two based in Maplewood.
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