At this point in the winter, we’re all craving some lush green spaces. Thankfully, these botanical gardens and greenhouses make sure nature is in bloom all year.
🌳 Lyman Estate Greenhouses | 185 Lyman St., Waltham | ~13 miles from Boston | Free
Centuries of horticultural history await at the Lyman Estate Greenhouses, including a grape house from 1804 and a circa-1820 camellia house. While the adjacent Lyman Estate only offers tours on select weekends, these greenhouses are open year-round, bursting with orchids, exotic house plants, citrus fruits, and herbs. Purchase unique choices for your own oasis at one of the five annual special plant sales, the next of which is scheduled for this Saturday, Jan. 20 + Sunday, Jan. 21.
💐 New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill | 11 French Dr., Boylston | ~47 miles from Boston | $9 for children ages 4-12, $19 for adults
Voted the “Best Botanic Garden in the US” by TravelAwaits, this family-friendly oasis maintains its subtropical conservatories year-round. Don’t miss “Patterns in Bloom, an Orchid Exhibition,” a vibrant display of orchid species from around the world that’s in bloom from Saturday, Feb. 10-Sunday, March 17.
🌺 The Botanic Garden of Smith College | 16 College Ln., Northampton | ~104 miles from Boston | Free
Nestled inside Smith College’s 127-acre arboretum and six acres of outdoor gardens, the Lyman Conservatory is open to the public year-round, showcasing plant life from all climates in temperature-controlled rooms. Find the “warm temperature house,” home to Venus flytraps, pitcher plants, and aquatic plants. Stop by before June 28 to see the exhibit “The Bell Jars: Lyman Conservatory and Sylvia Plath’s Botanical Imagination,” which interweaves Plath’s lush imagery with her time studying botany at Smith.
Bonus: Take little ones to The Butterfly Place in Westford or Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Garden in Deerfield for kid-friendly indoor nature experiences.
