By Marie Elium
We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the promise of spring than a stroll through one of Northeast Ohio’s public gardens.
If you’re eager to find inspiration for your own backyard, or want to enjoy and appreciate someone else’s hard work, then a visit to a public garden is in order. The best part? The gardens are pandemic-friendly with expansive outdoor areas and protocols that keep safety first with timed visits, mask requirements and other measures. Call or go to the website for details.
Cleveland Botanical Garden
11030 East Blvd., Cleveland
216-721-1600
Don’t Miss: Orchids Forever through April 11. The orchid show has timed admission. The large herb garden is managed by Western Reserve Herb Society. Admission fee.
Cleveland Cultural Gardens
750 E. 88th St., Cleveland
Don’t Miss: A springtime stroll through the 33 gardens, each a tribute to a different country, culture or nationality. Wear your walking shoes; the gardens stretch along Martin Luther King Boulevard and East Boulevard in Rockefeller Park. Free.
Cleveland Metroparks Lakefront Nature Preserve
8701 Lakeshore Blvd. NE, Cleveland
216-377-1348
Don’t Miss: The downtown Cleveland views, migrating birds, spring wildflowers and native perennials. Free.
Daffodil Trail
3100 Brush Rd., Richfield
330-867-5511
Don’t Miss: Celebrate the park system’s centennial with a visit to the Daffodil Trail and its 40,000+ cheery blooms. Free.
Hemlock Creek Picnic Area/Bedford Reservation – Cleveland Metroparks
14800 Button Road., Walton Hills
Don’t Miss: The native wildflowers along the Tinkers Creek Trail. Free.
Holden Arboretum
9550 Sperry Road, Kirtland
440-946-4400
Don’t Miss: The extraordinary collection of rhododendrons and azaleas in June. Admission Fee.
Miller Nature Preserve
2739 Center Rd, Avon
440-937-0764
Don’t Miss: Conservatory plants, scenic gardens, wooded areas. Free.
Schoepfle Garden
11106 Market St., Wakeman
440-965-7237
Don’t Miss: The 70-acre botanical garden and woods bordered by Vermillion River. collections of rhododendron, roses, lilies, hostas, and other plants in the 70-acre garden and woods along the Vermillion River. Free.
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
714 N. Portage Path, Akron
Don’t Miss: The restored Japanese garden, 70 acres of formal and themed gardens, and the Birch Tree Allee, which was featured on a postage stamp last year. Admission fee.
Marie Elium grows flowers and raises chickens. She’s visited hundreds of gardens and would love to go on a coop tour — if she can find one.
