Best Spots for Viewing Virginia Bluebells

Favorite Virginia Bluebell Viewing Spots 

(updated from a previous blog post)

Native Virginia Bluebells are unfurling all over the Mid-Atlantic this week. (Yes, it is not just all about the Cherry Blossom here in the DC area!) Get out to view masses of these special local wildflowers while they are at their peak over these next few weeks.

I asked the folks on the former Native Plants East discussion list for their bluebell peeping suggestions. Here are their combined responses:

~ On Sunday, the Virginia bluebells were blooming at McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda, MD. Not sure about when they peak. - Eric Raun, Silver Spring, MD

~ I was just out at Carderock and in some areas the bluebells are almost fully out. In others they are still in bud... I also go to places on the Virginia side such as Riverbend, Scott's Run, and Turkey Run. These will all be better Easter weekend especially since the orientation of the Virginia side of the Potomac is more northerly, so gets a bit less warming than the Maryland side. But many native wildflowers are out now and 'peeping' is great just about any time.
- Marney Bruce, Montgomery County Master Gardener

~ There are two local Bluebell festivals (Merrimac Farm and Bull Run) that took place last weekend and both parks welcome visitors. - KJ

~ Lovely stands of bluebells occur at BlockHouse Point Park which is also along the Potomac, but further out River Road. If possible park at the second (small) parking area and take the BlockHouse Trail into the woods. - Cheryl Beagle, Conservatory Gardener, Brookside Gardens

~ I've seen them on the C-and-O canal (years ago) near the locks above Swains (like Pennyfield Lock). Not sure how many are still there, and it wasn't a huge field or anything, just patches alongside the towpath. If you can get a bike out there to ride the canal, you can cover more miles to discover more patches. - Cindy Walzcak, Takoma Hort Club member

~ Turkey Run Park (the trail down to the Potomac River from the first parking lot) has wonderful bluebell displays in mid-April. This site mentions Balls Bluff east of Leesburg and also here is a link to bluebells at River Bend. - Mary Ann Lawler, VNPS

~ Last weekend, I saw a lot of bluebell "buds" at Great Falls, on the Maryland side, near the Billy Goat trail. I imagine this weekend they would be in full and glorious bloom! - Paula Jean Harvey

~ I saw Bluebells blooming along the steam in the hosta garden at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens last week. I know they also have them in their Potomac Wildflower collections, but I didn't get to walk through that part of the garden. - Mona Miller, Volunteer, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Vienna, VA

~ Turkey Run has bluebells along the Potomac: from parking lot C-1, take zig-zag trail down to the Potomac Heritage Trail ; wander either up or down river from there. Also some nice smaller patches along Woods Trail heading east (north? In the same direction as the river flows) from the Parkway Headquarters Building. - Margaret Chatham, Falls Church, VA, Potomac Gorge Weed Warrior at Turkey Run

~ An anonymous commenter on our previous post said: "McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area has some great displays. It's off River Road near Seneca Creek State Park. Here's a link to McKee Beshers: 

https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/pages/publiclands/central/mckeebeshers.aspx

~ Another tip came in for Dickerson Conservation Park on the border of  Montgomery and Frederick Counties -- along the Potomac River in MD. See more at  https://montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/dickerson-conservation-park/

~ Caledon State Park in King George, VA, was suggested by another tipster 

 ~  Winterthur hosts an annual Azaleas & Bluebells Day. This year it is on May 6, 2023. See details at: https://www.winterthur.org/calendar/azaleas-and-bluebells-day/

Do you have any favorite spots for viewing Virginia Bluebell in the Mid-Atlantic? Please share them in the comments section below.

Click on this photo of the Great Falls Carderock bluebells for an enlarged view. The bluebells are hard to photograph en masse as the light blue tends to blend in with the sky, but I think this one and the close-ups I posted above give you some idea of this plant's beauty.

Be sure to read the companion blog post on how to grow Virginia Bluebells in your own garden!

And see still MORE about growing Virginia Bluebells here.

Plant Profile: Virginia Bluebells

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginiana) are a native plant to the Mid-Atlantic USA.

They thrive in deciduous shade and moist soil. If happy in a location, they will readily self-seed and form a nice colony in a few years. You can collect the seeds and scatter them as you like. You can also dig and divide them to spread them about.

Enjoy them while they are in season. You can see them in bloom en masse in early to mid-April in publicly accessible locations all around the Washington, DC region. Here is a link to our list of local Bluebell viewing hot spots: http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2014/04/best-spots-for-viewing-virginia.html.

Because they are ephemeral, in your own garden you will want to plant a companion that comes up as the Virginia Bluebells are fading -- like Ferns, Hostas, and Astilbes.

And surprise! Despite the name, not all Virginia Bluebells are blue – some are pink or white!

Virginia Bluebells need no real maintenance and are generally rabbit- and deer-proof.

Read more about Virginia Bluebells in the April 2015 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine (http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2015/04/washington-gardener-magazine-april-2015.html).

Virginia Bluebells – you can grow that!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine and edited by intern Allison O'Reilly.

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