Spring

Spring Flower Bloom Schedule

May 22, 2013

This is your official source for the 2013 spring bloom report in Asheville and Western North Carolina. Each week we'll tell you where spring blooms are most prevalent in the mountains. Be sure to visit this page weekly for the most current spring updates.


Spring Bloom Hunting

Biltmore Rose Garden Rose Garden at Biltmore

Spring is in peak bloom right now. You'll find Frasier Magnolias flowering at the Dupont State Forest as well as stands of catesby trillium, bright pink mountain laurel, pink and yellow lady slippers and shasta daisies.

Another great spot for petal hunting this week is one of Asheville's public gardens, the Botanical Gardens of Asheville. This 10-acre wooded enclave near central Asheville is seeing multiple blooms right now, including magnolias, false goats beard and dutchman's pipe. This garden is free to visitors.

At Chimney Rock State Park they are reporting mountain laurel with small umbrella-shaped pinkish flowers starting to burst with color. Also find wild columbine, fire pinks and poplar trees in bloom.

Rose is a rose is a rose

Take time to smell the roses! These symbols of love and romance are springing up around town and there are a few places to find them. The NC Arboretum is hosting the Asheville Blue Ridge Rose Society Annual Exhibition this week where award-winning roses of every color and size will be featured. At Biltmore, take time to peruse the lower portion of the Walled Garden, which showcases a collection of over 1,400 modern and heirloom roses. While you're in downtown, stroll through the rose garden at the Basilica of St. Lawrence, an architectural treasure in Asheville.

You otter see this

otters-3

Enjoy the wildlife in Asheville from wherever you may be. Introducing Obi-Wan and Olive, two playful stars of our new Ottercam! These North American river otters call the WNC Nature Center their home and you can see them swimming around every day. Watch them live!

Also see: Container Gardens: How to tips from the gardening experts at Biltmore.

Submit your spring bloom photos!

Thanks to Byron Robinson of B&D Photography for submitting his great spring bloom photos taken in Ashe County, North Carolina. We want to see the beauty of spring from your perspective. Submit a hi-res image to dholston@exploreasheville.com and you may see your photo appear in one of our upcoming spring bloom reports.

Canopy Tour package

Get the best of both worlds! Stay close to all the action of downtown with a reservation at the Hampton Inn on Tunnel Rd., and then head out into the forest for a canopy zipline tour that will have you experiencing the great outdoors in a whole new way. This package is ideal for two adults looking for vacation savings. Book here!


Schedule

This is a brief listing of some of the flowers to look for in and around Asheville this spring. The Western North Carolina area is fortunate to have a variety of elevations and terrain, thus making exact pinpointing of a bloom schedule impossible. Spring flower bloom schedules are estimated based on previous years.

March is the start of the spring flower bloom season, and there are several varieties and species of flowers to see in the Western North Carolina mountains. Here are the flowers that typically bloom in March in the Asheville area, as well as suggested spots to view the spring flowers. Discover these wild blooms by hiking the best trails near Asheville.


  • Daffodil

    Daffodil
  • Dutchman's Breeches

    Dutchman's Breeches
  • Iris

    Iris
  • Ruby Giant

    Ruby Giant
  • Spring Beauty

    Spring Beauty
  • Yellow Violet

    Yellow Violet

When April arrives, the spring flower bloom season gains momentum. Discover beautiful and colorful varieties and species of flowers to see in the Western North Carolina mountains. Here are pictures of the flowers that typically bloom in April in the Asheville area. Discover these wild blooms by hiking the best trails near Asheville.


  • Daffodil

    Daffodil
  • Dogwood

    Dogwood
  • Painted Trillium

    Painted Trillium
  • Phaceliat

    Phacelia
  • Pink Lady

    Spring Beauty
  • Yellow Lady Slipper

    Yellow Lady Slipper
  • Pinkshell Azalea

    Pinkshell Azalea
  • Redbud

    Redbud
  • Tulip

    Tulip

May in the North Carolina mountains explodes in a symphony of colorful spring flower blossoms, revealing numerous shades of red, purple, pink, orange, blue and white. Here are the flowers that typically bloom in May in the Asheville area. Discover these wild blooms by hiking the best trails near Asheville.


  • Crab Apple

    Crab Apple
  • Dogwood

    Dogwood
  • Flame Azalea

    Flame Azalea
  • Japonica

    Japonica
  • Mountain Laurel

    Mountain Laurel
  • Mountain Magnolia

    Mountain Magnolia
  • Pinkshell Azalea

    Pinkshell Azalea
  • Trailing Arbutus

    Trailing Arbutus
  • Trillium

    Trillium
  • Violet

    Violet
  • Wild Cherry

    Wild Cherry

June in the North Carolina mountains features some unique and stunning flower blooms as spring transitions into summer. Here are the flowers that typically bloom in June in the Asheville area. Discover these wild blooms by hiking the best trails near Asheville.


  • Fire Pinks

    Fire Pinks
  • Flame Azalea

    Flame Azalea
  • Gray's Lily

    Gray's Lily
  • Ox-Eyed Daisy

    Ox-Eyed Daisy
  • Purple Rhododendron

    Purple Rhododendron
  • White Rhododendron

    White Rhododendron
  • Turkeybeard

    Turkeybeard