Connecticut
Where to see flowers in Connecticut this spring: 10 photo-worthy places to visit
Spring’s best blooms: 10 stunning flowering plants
Spring is almost upon us, and with that comes beautiful blossoming flowering plants and warmer weather.
unbranded – Lifestyle
Spring is finally here, and along with the season’s warmer weather, its blooming flowers are sure to brighten your day after a long, cold winter.
Luckily, Connecticut has plenty of parks, gardens and public spaces with beautiful blooms that make for the perfect spring day – and the perfect photo-op. Whether your favorite is daffodils, tulips or cherry blossoms, the state is sure to have a field of flowers for you.
Here are some of the best places to see flowers in Connecticut this spring.
Elizabeth Park
This historical Hartford park offers over 100 acres of gardens, green space, walking trails and recreational facilities. In early spring, the ten gardens of Elizabeth Park see daffodils and tulips, followed by irises and perennials in late May.
The center of Elizabeth Park is the Helen S Kaman Rose Garden, which sees its peak blooms in mid-June. With over 15,000 rose bushes and 800 varieties of roses, the garden is the third largest rose garden in the country today.
Elizabeth Park is free and open to the public.
When: Dawn to dusk daily
Where: 1561 Asylum Ave., Hartford
Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens
The Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens in Stamford has hundreds of species to explore across 20 gardens and collections, including a cottage garden, a tropical garden and a wildflower garden.
Spring blooms include bluebells, lilies and mountain laurels, Connecticut’s state flower, in over 150 forms. Admission to Bartlett is always free, but donations are welcome.
When: Dawn to dusk daily
Where: 151 Brookdale Road, Stamford
Wickham Park
With over 280 acres of gardens, Wickham Park has flowers like rhododendrons, azaleas, crocuses and lilacs separated into 10 unique themes, including a sensory garden, a lotus garden and a Scottish garden.
Along with the many beautiful flowers for viewing, the park has various woodlands, ponds, picnic areas, sports facilities and playgrounds.
Wickham Park charges entry fees by car, with prices at $7 on weekdays or $10 on weekends.
When: 9:30 a.m. until sunset starting April 5
Where: 1329 Middle Tpke. W., Manchester
Lavender Pond Farm
Killingworth’s Lavender Pond Farm is the largest lavender farm in New England, filled with over 10,000 lavender plants across 25 acres.
With no entry fee, guests can wander through the lavender fields, ride around the farm on the Lavender Express, play yard games and look through tons of lavender goods in the gift shop.
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday starting in spring; date TBA on Facebook
Where: 318 Roast Meat Hill Road, Killingworth
Mill River Park
Fans of cherry blossoms can head to Mill River Park in Stamford for the famous cherry tree grove, which happens to be the largest one in New England. The park is also home to over 400 other trees and wildflowers, along with bike paths, a carousel, a playground and a discovery center.
Mill River Park is free to the public.
When: 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Where: 1040 Washington Blvd., Stamford
Hollister House Garden
Situated in the Litchfield hills, Hollister House Garden is an American interpretation of classic English gardens which unfolds in successive layers of space and color.
In April, Hollister house has lots of daffodils, bluebells and magnolias, and in May, forget-me-nots and tulips start to bloom. Admission to Hollister House Garden costs $10 per person.
When: 1-4 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday starting April 16
Where: 300 Nettleton Hollow Road, Washington
Hubbard Park
Each spring, Hubbard Park erupts in a vibrant display of over 600,000 daffodils of 60 different varieties. The park is the site of the annual Meriden Daffodil Festival, where the town celebrates the colorful arrival of spring with food, crafts, live music, carnival rides, a daffodil market and a giant daffodil parade.
A full schedule for this year’s festival can be found on the Daffodil Festival website.
When: May 3 from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and May 4 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: 999 W. Main St., Meriden
Colorblends House & Spring Garden
Outside a 1903 Colonial Revival mansion in Bridgeport’s Historic District is Colorblends Spring Garden, a garden bursting with snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, tulips and various perrennials.
Though Colorblends is small at a quarter of an acre, the Dutch-designed garden is jam-packed with color and charm in creative designs. Both the house and the garden are free to visit.
When: Dawn to dusk daily from March 29 through May 11
Where: 893 Clinton Ave., Bridgeport
Harkness Memorial State Park
Stretching over 230 acres, this scenic park has beautiful views of Long Island Sound, an elegant summer mansion, picnic tables, hiking trails and multiple formal gardens.
Each of the estate’s six gardens has its own theme, from a formal Italian garden to an Alpine rock garden. Colorful blooms like daffodils and heliotropes bring the lush green space to life.
Harkness is free to enter for Connecticut residents with in-state registered vehicles. For out-of-state vehicles, admission costs $10 on weekdays or $15 on weekends. Guests can choose to wander the property on their own or join a guided tour of the mansion and formal gardens.
When: 8 a.m. to sunset daily; tours from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on summer weekends
Where: 275 Great Neck Road, Waterford
Lee Memorial Garden
This small garden in New Canaan is packed with an expansive variety of spring flowers. Azaleas, rhododendrons, bluebells, lilies, irises, hyacinths are just a few of the spring blooms that can be found in this wooded garden escape under a canopy of oak, maple and tulip trees.
Admission to the Lee Memorial Garden is always free.
When: Dawn to dusk daily
Where: 89 Chichester Road, New Canaan
There’s a mix of sun and clouds, and temperatures are cooler than normal on Thursday.
High temperatures are in the mid-40s. A lot of clouds came through overnight, so the day is a little grey at the start.
Friday will also be partly sunny with milder temperatures in the lower 50s, cooler at the shoreline. There will be showers late in the afternoon and into the evening on Friday.
Showers will be gone by Saturday, and highs will be near 60 degrees.
Temperatures will likely stay near 60 through the weekend. There may be another batch of rain on Sunday night.
It will be much colder on Monday morning.
Democrats passed bills on homeschooling and vaccines through key committees today, sending them to the full legislature for votes.
One bill would require homeschool families to show that they are providing “equivalent instruction,” a response to two high-profile incidents involving households that pulled their children from public schools.
Meanwhile, two other bills would give the public health commissioner more authority over vaccines.
The Education Committee started the day on Tuesday morning with a debate on several bills, including the equivalent instruction proposal.
Rep. Jennifer Leeper (D-Fairfield), a co-chair of the committee, said the bill would provide protections when families pull their kids from school.
“What we are trying to do is have some system for the people who are withdrawing children to hide neglect and abuse,” she said.
The Department of Children and Families has been receiving scrutiny for two incidents over the past year.
One case involved the death of 11-year-old Mimi Torres Garcia. In the other, a Watebury man named S. claimed he set fire to his family’s home to bring attention to decades of abuse.
Family members are facing criminal charges related to each incident.
In both cases, the families pulled their kids from school and had contact with DCF. S.’s family claimed they were homeschooling him.
This bill would require families, starting in the 2028-29 school year, to provide annual proof that they are educating their children if they opt for homeschooling.
Options can include taking a standardized test or submitting a portfolio of lessons and work. Families who currently homeschool their children would be exempt, as the bill applies only to those who make that choice once the law takes effect.
Dozens of homeschooling families came to the legislative office building to protest the vote, which passed 26-20.
“This is completely turning upside down the whole authority when it comes to parents and the state over our children,” Ken Farrington, of Naugatuck, said.
The bill would also require DCF to check if a family has an active case anytime a family notifies a public school that they are withdrawing their children.
Meanwhile, the public health committee passed two bills giving the public health commissioner more freedom to purchase vaccines.
Sen. Saud Anwar, (D-South Windsor), said the goal is to allow the commissioner to acquire vaccines, even if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer recommend the vaccines.
He expressed concern about changes to vaccine guidance under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr.
“If you do not have the CDC on board and the ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) on board, the state of Connecticut cannot buy those vaccines,” Anwar said. “So this law allows us to buy the vaccines.”
But Sen. Heather Somers, (R-Groton), said she’s not aware of any reason the public health commissioner is not allowed to do that now.
Republicans object to language that would bolster the attorney general’s ability to defend a state law ending the religious exemption to vaccines for students.
“That is just a complete fabrication of what this bill is about,” Somers said. “This bill is about stopping a lawsuit that the state of Connecticut is afraid they’re going to lose.”
Connecticut
Three people injured, busy intersection closed after car hits utility pole in West Hartford
A busy intersection in West Hartford will be closed for hours on Wednesday morning following a crash that injured three people on Tuesday night, police said.
The West Hartford Police Department said they, along with the fire department and emergency services, were called to the area of 1030 New Britain Ave. at 11:31 p.m. regarding a car that had struck a utility pole.
There were four adults in the car, and firefighters had to pull one of them out. Three of the four people were sent to the hospital, according to police. Police did not share what condition the people were in.
New Britain Avenue will be closed for a few hours between New Park Avenue and South Street due to downed utility lines, and for the investigation, police said.
West Hartford Police’s accident reconstruction team is investigating the incident.
Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact West Hartford Police at 860-523-5203, use the anonymous tip line at 860-570-8969, or email anonymously at whpdtips@westhartfordct.gov.
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