Do you feel it?
Daylight is lingering in the evenings, birds have revved up their chatter, and, if you look closely, bright green bulb tips are poking up through the mud.
Springtime has returned to Northeast Ohio. Don’t let a few late snowfalls or flurries tell you otherwise.
We’ve pulled together a list of public gardens to celebrate the season. Don’t know where to start? Pick one, and then find out what each is best-known for and start your tour there. That’s the advice from Shelley Funai, Stan Hywet’s senior horticulturist.
It’s easy to get sidetracked by trails and colorful flower beds — and there’s nothing wrong with simply following garden paths. But most gardens are known for one or two special areas, and if you want to maximize your visit, start with those, Funai says.
A lot depends on the time of year. For example, at Stan Hywet, the estate’s Dell is home to delicate ephemeral wildflowers in April and May, blooming for a short time and then retreating to let showier plants take center stage. By late May or early June, the sprawling cutting gardens are awash with bold iris and peonies.
No matter how you approach a garden tour, the best advice is to simply get out there and take it all in. Every garden tour is a good garden tour.
Cleveland Botanical Garden
11030 East Blvd., Cleveland
216-721-1600
Don’t Miss: The Glasshouse with rainforest and desert plants. There’s an herb garden outside. 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
portofcleveland.com/environment-infrastructure/cleveland-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
summitmetroparks.org/furnace-run
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.
James H. Barrow Biological Field Station
11305 Wheeler Rd, Garrettsville 44231
330-527-2142
Don’t Miss: Hiram’s Field Station has more than five miles of trails through old-growth forest, secondary forest, prairies, wetlands and streams. The visitor’s center is located at the front of the property. Download a trail map through the college website. Free
Miller Nature Preserve
2739 Center Rd, Avon
440-937-0764
Don’t Miss: The 145 acres of woodlands in the heart of Avon. This park also features a 5,000-square-foot conservatory, with plants from around the world, including orchids, ferns, bonsai, palms, cycads and more. There is a $2 admission for the conservatory.
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland (Shaker Heights)
216-321-5935
Don’t Miss: The Big Marsh and The Mini Marsh, with lizard-tail and swamp rose mallow, floodplain and upland forests, a vernal pool and more. Free.
Schoepfle Garden
lorainmetroparks.com/schoepfle-garden
11106 Market St., Wakeman
440-965-7237
Don’t Miss: The 70-acre botanical garden and woods bordered by the Vermillion River. Collections of rhododendron, roses, lilies, hostas and other plants. Free.
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
714 N. Portage Path, Akron
330-836-5533
Don’t Miss: The restored Japanese garden, 70 acres of formal and themed gardens, and the Birch Tree Allee. Admission fee.
