Filoli: Must-See Spring Flowers!

If I had to pick one season as my favorite, it would be spring. I know most people pick summer, but I personally like promise of new beginnings; fresh starts.

One of the first flowers to brave its way into the world is the daffodil, and I always feel a sense of hope when I see their tiny green leaves struggling up through the dirt. I walk every morning, and although I change my route, I do tend to walk by the same houses, and hence flowers over the course of a month.

During the spring, the world seems to transform. I love to watch the progress of the daffodils as they morph from tiny leaves to an explosion of color around me.

There's an estate about 30 minutes from Los Gatos and Saratoga that I wanted to make sure you knew about. If you’ve never been, you may still recognize it as two Academy Award nominated movies were filmed on the site including Heaven Can Wait and Lolita. Other productions filmed at this incredible estate include The Wedding Planner, Rent, Joy Luck Club and George of the Jungle.

How could you not be on the edge of your seat wanting to know where this amazing place is? The name of his historical home is the Filoli Estate and Gardens, 86 Old Canada Rd., in Woodside.

Filoli is a fabulous historic property, recognized as one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century. In addition to the 654–acres, which include a 16–acre English Renaissance garden, you’ll also find a 36,000 square foot Georgian country estate that you can tour.

I am an annual member and visit the gardens often. It’s spectacular to watch the gardens change over the course of the year. Also, as a member, it’s easy to pop over and walk through at a moment’s notice.

Quick note: It’s about 10 minutes from the Stanford mall so you can have lunch after your tour. Or even better, stop at the Woodside Village Pub and have lunch sitting by the fireplace in the bar or the Rosewood Hotel and sit outside.

A few Saturdays ago I had the opportunity to attend Daffodil Daydreams with my amazing girlfriends: Julie, Sondra, Liz and Susan. Photo from the day is attached to this post.

After a quick stop at Starbucks, we carpooled up Highway 280 toward Filoli Gardens. What a gorgeous day. I took a number of photos and hopefully they will give you a feel for the types of flowers you can see at Filoli during the month of February and March.

Although there are a few photos of tulips, most were still tight little buds which will explode into a mass of color over the next few weeks. If you missed the event this weekend, don’t worry—pick a day and head on over. You won’t be disappointed.

Also, I can’t stress how wonderful an annual pass is. It costs $60 and for $15 extra, $85 total, you can also get a second pass so you can always bring a friend.

Lilacs are next and you won’t to miss them!

During the next nine months, I will be posting the flowers that are in bloom at Filoli. If you’d like to receive email updates of these posts please click the ”email” button on the top of this page and/or share this link.

Also, if you’ve not had a chance to check out additional Photo Girl Travels blogs please click here for more photos and unique travel destinations.

Cheers!