Spring has sprung, and now is the time plan the ultimate day trip to experience its splendor—to a park called Sherwood Gardens, a Baltimore seasonal showcase where 80,000 tulips create a rainbow of color.
Located in the Guilford section of northern Baltimore, this garden is a treasure. It is open to the public at all times, so pack a picnic and head down to what’s been called the most famous tulip garden in North America.
The larger property was originally laid out by the Olmsted Brothers of Central Park fame; the gardens comprise 6 acres. Sherwood Gardens features flowering dogwoods, cherries, wisteria and magnolias in addition to all of the tulips. It also contains vibrantly colored azaleas and several rare trees, some of which date back to the 1700s. Following the tulips, the gardens bloom with over 20,000 annuals up until frost. But you’ll want to make a special point of traveling down at the end of April or beginning of May, when the flowering bulbs make their boldest statement.
According to Bruce Barnett, a sort of curator for the gardens, tens of thousands of people visit each year, some via the occasional tour bus. It’s also a popular spot, naturally, for artists and photographers.
For some years leading up to 1989, once the tulips were finished, the gardens lay barren. Barnett recalls them as “actually rather ugly, with empty tulip beds and burned out grass.” He asked the Guilford Association if he could plant “a few flowers.” When they said yes, Barnett began to recruit help. Now chair of a special committee, Barnett admits to “being in charge of the gardens, from dandelions to tulips.” In his cause he’s been joined by volunteers, as neighborhood residents “adopt a plot” and plant and care for zinnias, cosmos, ageratum and more all summer.
Trees have been planted to round out the gardens, including Colorado blue spruce, Serbian spruce, deodar cedar, new American elms, and, recently, a Franklin tree, a rare native that blooms in late summer and sports brilliant red foliage in the autumn.
The colors of the tulips themselves are fantastic, blooming in shades from coral and saffron to apricot or eggplant. Each year, a committee strolls through when the tulips are peaking. They discuss the merits of the various varieties—Kings Blood, Blushing Lady, Olympic Flame and about 30 others—and decide what to order for next year’s show. They do this each year because every one of the 80,000 tulips is dug up, and new ones are planted, to keep the blooms looking top-notch. (To help with the Memorial Weekend Tulip Dig, check the website, www.guilfordnews.com; for 30 cents each, you can take home whatever you can dig.)
Complementing the beauty of the gardens is the neighborhood architecture. Stunning homes from various periods display Federal, Tudor, French and Italian-influenced styles, as well as a few from the Arts and Crafts movement.
To round out your day trip are nearby Loyola University, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the College of Notre Dame and the 32nd Street Farmers Market. There are also many restaurants in the area; the BMA’s Gertrude’s is run by PBS’s Coastal Cooking star John Shields and offers brunch on both Saturdays and Sundays. The award-winning Brasserie Tatin, owned by Guilford residents, is also nearby.
If you go: The first weekend in May is typically the busiest, but parking is always free and usually available. There is no admission charge. The gardens are located one block east of the 4100 block of St. Paul Street in northern Baltimore. For details, visit www.guilfordnews.com.
