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We’ve just spent the day in daffodil paradise… or the nearest to it in Virginia.
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We drove north across the York River to Gloucester County to visit Brent and Beck Heath’s gardens and garden shop at their daffodil farm.
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Penny, in the shop, invited us to come back regularly as the gardens continue to transform every few weeks through the season.
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These gardens demonstrate the many shrubs, trees, perennials, and of course, bulbs, which grow well here in coastal Virginia.
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Meticulously planted and groomed, we were astounded at the wealth of beautiful growth already visible in the gardens this early in the season.
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We visited only the first few areas of the gardens today. The many acres are divided by theme, as you might expect. I was particularly interested in the bird and butterfly garden and the native plant gardens.
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Walking through these gardens has my head spinning with new ideas of how plants may be used and grown together to create beautiful spaces.
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And it is only April….
The Gloucester Daffodil Festival begins this coming Saturday, April 11 and continues on Sunday, April 12.
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The village is in full preparation mode, with daffodils blooming literally everywhere. Daffodil themed wreathes and ornaments grace most doors. Trees in front yards are decorated with round kissing balls covered in flowers. If you are within driving distance, and love flowers, this is a festival which shouldn’t be missed.
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We just wanted to see the flowers, and so popped in for a quiet visit today ahead of the crowds. Even on a cool and rainy spring day, we were dazzled.
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I’ll show you more of the photos we took over the next few days. And honestly, I have a few things waiting to be planted up…
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When you’re planning to make your next purchase of bulbs, please keep Brent and Becky in mind. They have a beautiful nursery right here in Virginia.
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Everyone we met there today was absolutely kind, helpful, and delighted to be a part of their operation. The prices are fair and the stock healthy and robust. There are hundreds of pots filled with flowering spring bulbs just waiting to go home with you to your garden, and bags of summer bulbs waiting for you in the shop.
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And by the way, if you do make the trip to Gloucester this spring, please remember to stop at Short Lane for home made ice cream on your way home. It is absolutely the best of the best.
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Woodland Gnome 2015
Forest Garden 
I am not sure where you live. I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado but my family lives in Gloucester and I have been to Brent and Becky’s Bulbs before which is lovely. I enjoyed visiting your blog!
Thank you for visiting Forest Garden today 😉 I hope this brought back your own happy memories of time spent with friends and loved ones in Gloucester. We are just south in Williamsburg, but will surely be making the trip more often to enjoy the gardens. Best wishes, WG
My Brent & Becky’s catalog is standing by. Love the ceramic pillar too.
Enjoy 😉
Oh! How beautiful! It looks like a place I would love to visit, so I’m glad I got to see some of it through your wonderful photos. Our local daffodil festival was supposed to be last weekend, but was cancelled for the first time in 50 years due to a lack of flowers blooming. I reckon that means we’re off to a slow start this year.
Slow start, cold spring. Why not drive down to Virginia and enjoy ours? They are splendid, and we’ll have good weather this weekend, Robin. This farm is right off Rt. 17 and easy to find. Are things warming up in your garden now? Giant hugs, WG ❤
I wish I could, WG. This weekend is slated for some gardening here at the ranch. I want to get the seeds started for the flower garden (aka the scrounger’s garden), finish laying out and mulching the trail in the scrounger’s garden, get some dahlias and hostas in the ground, and a bazillion other things. Our granddaughters will be visiting around the end of June and I have some ideas for making the scrounger’s garden a little like a children’s garden since both girls love flowers and butterflies (who doesn’t?). I’m going to clean up the old pots and pans we found and paint them to look like flowers and pop them in the ground. Then I’m thinking about making a totem tower with some cups and saucers.
What fun! Always more fun to get the projects swimming around in imagination into reality. If you don’t like crowds (as we don’t) the gardens will be there… and far more accessible…. another day 😉 Have fun today! Love your plans for the garden for your granddaughters. They will love it! Hugs, WG
What a total pleasure to tour this garden with you today! This place looks addicting to me. 😉 I’d be there bi-weekly! It reminds me that I haven’t been to White Flower Farm in CT in a few years, which also has beautiful display gardens. I might have to plan a day trip soon. A lovely thing to do in the spring to be further inspired! Hugs 🙂
Hugs to you 😉 Maybe we should start up a new gardening tour meme, Eliza. Garden tour of the month or something? I always finish these tours inspired and brimming with new ideas and new ways of approaching ‘challenges’ in our own garden. I agree- definitely time for you to visit White Flower Farm again and take us along with you 😉
🙂 Sounds good!
Come back and visit anytime! Our goal is to beautify, teach and inspire, and it seems that this was your experience. Just about brings tears to our eyes. Thank you!
Thank you! Your demonstration gardens do all of those things beautifully. We were especially intrigued by what appeared to be an Euphorbia, naturalized in the rock garden around the waterfall and pools. I love it with the ground covers and bulbs. It was the perfect shade of chartreuse to accent the daffodils, Thyme, and Muscari. Would love to know the cultivar in order to plant starts in our garden. One of your gardeners was especially kind and helpful in answering my questions about the H. quercifolia and the Serviceberry in bud. I planted seven new Sauromatum venosum yesterday evening, and am headed now to pot up some Oxalis and Begonia boliviensis. Your planting guide and summer catalog proved incredibly helpful. Love the B&B tips 😉 Thank you again for your warm hospitality yesterday. WG
Flowers AND ice cream in one trip? Sounds too good to miss out on! Lovely photos!
Flowers For me, ice cream to make the trip worthwhile for my always patient partner. We will do it again . 🙂
Love daffodils. They are the first flowers to come through. It’s a happy signal spring is near. They came though a while back. I’ve been going all over the property cutting them back!
Even when the landscape remains grey and wintery, the golden daffodils promise spring 😉 Hope you enjoy the day, Koko 😉
Indeed it does! You have a wonderful day! And a happy weekend! 🙂