In all honesty the idea of having to wait a long time for our next international holiday is a little sad, but we’re also aware that it’s definitely a first world problem! It could always be worse and we are so lucky to have a glorious country to explore the minute we step outside our front door.
That said we still think it’s okay to daydream about and even plan our next overseas trip, and for us (and probably most florists!) that almost always means a little stop off somewhere we can enjoy beautiful flowers. So, we're encouraging you to do the same. Let's all take Amy Merrick's advice in her book On Flowers and "Plan a pilgrimage to see a flower".
Here are a few of our picks for the best flower adventures. Some we’ve visited, others we look forward to seeing one day soon.
- Lavender Fields - Provence, France
Image Source: Canva
Seeing this image of a field of purple lavender outside the Notre-Dame de Senanque in Gordes, Provence makes us want to teleport to the French countryside with a picnic blanket, a bottle of rose, some cheese and a baguette.
This iconic abbey was built in the early 1100s by monks who grew and harvested lavender for an income (as is very common in the region) and this spot as well as Valensole and Sault seem to be home to the most scenic lavender fields.
In Provence, lavender fields are often divided by sunflower fields which bloom in July and August so this seems like an ideal time to visit if you want to see both in bloom.
Image Source: Canva
- Western Australia Wildflowers
Image Source: Better Homes and Gardens
Wild flower season in WA signals Spring time. This is when mostly small, delicate and intricate native Australian flowers bloom en masse across the state like a big bold colourful carpet in pinks, purples, yellows and whites. When reading about this we were fascinated to find out that WA is home to 12k species of flowering natives, 60% of which are found nowhere else in the world!
The season typically starts in late June and runs until October.
(and yep we know WA is not technically an international adventure but it sort of feels like it to Eastcoasters thanks to being a good 5 hours away!)
- Public Gardens of London, England
Regent's Park, Image Source: @london Instagram
London is largely known for it’s grey, gloomy weather and for being home to some of the Royal Family, but for those that have lived through or experienced a Spring and Summer in London you’ll agree there is no better place to be for late sunny evenings in flower filled gardens and parks. Some of our favourites include the daffodil clusters in Regents Park (April-May), Kew Gardens (5 million flowers are planted for Spring), Cherry Blossom in Greenwich Park (March-April), Azaleas at Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park (April-May), and the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park.
- Castelluccio Di Norcia, Italy
Castelluccio Di Norcia is a town tucked away in Valnerina inside the Mounts Sibillini National Park. Each year from about May to July, this high altitude valley comes alive with colour in the form of wild flowers; red poppies, purple violets, white lentils (the area is most known for it’s lentil production), Gentianella and beautiful bright yellow rapeseed as far as the eye can see! Every year on the third and last Sundays in June the flowers are celebrated at the Festa della Fiorita (The Flowering Festival).
Image Source: Canva
- Keukenhof Gardens, The Netherlands
Image Source: Keukenhof
If you love flowers you probably already know that Holland is well known internationally for it’s huge, global flower marketplace and its tulips. It’s recorded that over 1.7 billion tulip bulbs are planted in the rainbow-striped fields of Holland for commercial sale around the world. In the town of Lisse there is a place called Keukenhof Gardens which has over 7 million multi-coloured tulip bulbs flowering across 32 hectares from March to May. Sounds like a must see for the tulip lovers.
- Lupins at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Lupins aren’t commonly found or widely available in Australia which is what makes the prospect of visiting a sea of them in New Zealand verrry exciting.
Lake Tekapo on New Zealand’s South Island is just one of many beautiful spots in the Mackenzie region to see the pink, purple, blue and yellow Lupin spires fringing the turquoise lakes. They bloom for 4-5 weeks of the year (we hear Lake Taupo is especially pretty in late Nov), and we’re gonna try and get there sooner rather than later – these guys are actually an environmental pest and threat to the region’s ecology so it’s likely they’ll be eradicated soon.
Image Source: Canva
- Sakura (cherry blossom) in Japan
Cherry blossom season in Japan has to be one of the most common and well known flower adventures and it is definitely on our bucket list. Every year is different but it typically runs only for a week or two from late March to early April, and peak pink can generally be found in the main tourist hot spots including Tokyo. We’ve read that the week the petals begin to fall is pretty magical too.
Image Source: iStock
- Claude Monet’s Home and Garden at Giverny
There are times you make a special trip to a public garden or flower field and are slightly disappointed by the amount of flowers there or the state it's in. This is absolutely not one of those places. The house and garden where Claude Monet lived and painted for 43 years has been preserved and cared for by a non-profit organisation immaculately and the variety in colour and beauty in this well kept and very big garden just blows you away. If you’ve made plans to head to France in the Spring/Summer when the garden is blooming make sure to include this in your itinerary.
Image Source: Instagram @bethabood
- Hydrangea in the Azores, Portugal
We are absolute suckers for hydrangea so the prospect of the blue, pink and white varieties fringing the coastal roads and paths of these World Heritage listed volcanic islands pretty much sounds like heaven. We’ve read that the island Faial, known as “the blue island”, is a must see in June and July for it’s hedges of blue hydrangeas.
Image Source: Tours of the Azores Islands
Image Source: Azores Connections
- Wildflowers at West Coast National Park, South Africa
This pictures of this South African coastal National Park look absolutely incredible. For two months of every year (around July-Aug) the Namaqualand daisies bloom in the prettiest mix of colours along the turquoise West Coast of South Africa and it looks like a painting.
Image Source: Pinterest
Although it might be a while before we’re able to visit these places, there are plenty of blooms to look forward to in our own backyard – don’t forget Jacaranda season is only a month away! And pretty much any walk you take in nature will give you some sort of flower energy boost. Try this book for some nature walk inspo, or check out some beautiful flower walks around Sydney.
Cover Image Source: Better Homes and Gardens
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