After a long, grey winter, there’s nothing better than seeing spring flowers in bloom. When April and May roll around, tiny crocuses start peer through the blades of grass, dandelions punctuate green fields with shocks of yellow, and Pittsburgh’s classic red-bud trees cast a blush onto the riverbeds. Spring is a beautiful, rejuvenating time of year and there are lots of options for where to see the best flowers within easy driving distance of the Pittsburgh city limits.
Where to See Spring Flowers Near Pittsburgh
Phipps Conservatory
1 Schenley Drive
You get flowers all year long at Phipps, but when spring rolls around, they highlight warm weather plants. Right now, Phipps’ Butterfly Forest exhibition celebrates the relationship between flowers and the colorful butterflies that pollinate them. It’s ideal date spot, family outing, or solo date to cheer yourself up. Phipps is also open until 10PM on Fridays for anyone looking for late night hangouts on those days when the sun is out until long into the evening.
Raccoon Creek State Park
3000 PA-18
This state park is a network of trails that’s beautiful year-round, but it especially shines once the spring flowers come out. The crown jewel of the park is its Wildflower Reserve, where park rangers have worked to cultivate wildflowers for over 100 years. Bluebells, trillium, geranium, and more grow along the trails. The elevation on most of the trails in the Wildflower Reserve is fairly flat, making it accessible for all levels of hikers to enjoy the forest. Peak blooms are in April and May and August and September.
Freedom Farms
795 Pittsburgh Road
You can still sneak a peek at the spring flowers at Freedom Farms before their annual Wildflower Festival on July 19 – 27. The gardeners are hard at work cultivating zinnias, snapdragons, gomphrens, and sunflowers as spring turns to summer. The farm also has flower arranging classes with a professional florist so you can take home some of the beauty.
Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens
799 Pinkerton Run Road
Phipps isn’t the only game in town for year-round biodiversity. The Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, nestled in the hills near Settlers’ Park in Robinson, is a hidden gem for flower lovers. They routinely highlight what’s in bloom on their site, so you’ll know what to look for when you walk the paths. Right now, the cherry trees and the redbuds are in the spotlight, but there’s always something new to see.
1873-1311 Hemlock Hollow Road
Trillium is one of the world’s most fragile wildflowers, only blooming for a few weeks in late April and early May, so you really have to time this right. But even if you miss the trillium, this short path connects you to longer trails where you can see a plethora of local wildflowers. You can find the delicate buds of both red and white trillium along the 1-mile-loop of trails to walk. During peak bloom, this is a much more peaceful, secluded hike than the Raccoon Creek wildflowers, which can get crowded with flower fans on spring weekends.
Simmons Farm
170 Simmons Road
Whether you want to eat your greens or admire them, Simmons Farm has what you need. You can pick your own flowers in their fields during the spring and summer. Just grab a bucket and scissors from the staff and wander through the flowers to create your own bouquet. You can also pick up some fresh, seasonal produce while you’re at it.
Fern Hollow Nature Center
1901 Glen Mitchell Road
For kids and adults alike in Sewickley, Fern Hollow’s slopes and trails are refreshing reminders of the beauty of nature. You can pick up seeds at their Nature Center to grow your own Pennsylvania native flowers at home. But you can also marvel at the beauty in the fields on Fern Hollow’s 33 acres of land, with one of the biggest growth areas in the stretch of forest at the intersection of Scaife, Waterworks, and Glen Mitchell Road. Bring a blanket to picnic on or take a day hike and then enjoy some of the restaurants in the nearby downtown.
Story by Emma Riva
Photo courtesy of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
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