Bloom season here in the Pacific Northwest is the absolute best for a photoshoot in a flower field. I’m sure you’ve seen the iconic lavender or tulip farms in Oregon and Washington! These are a great place to experience something beautiful, and also to commemorate the season of life you’re in with pictures! Whether it’s for your engagement session, a couple’s shoot, or some shots of you and your partner in your wedding attire, photos in the flower fields are amazing. This blog contains a list of the best flower farms and wildflower fields in the Pacific Northwest for your session, with all the info you need to know about each and some photo examples of what these places look like in full bloom!
Most of the places on this list will require a permit for you to be able to have your pictures taken there. A few only allow photos to be taken when they're open to the public, but the after-hour option some of the farms offer gives you a secluded, wide open space. Exact bloom timeframes are dependent on Mother Nature. But the "in bloom" season ranges are as follows!
Cherry Blossoms: March - April
It's hard to determine the cherry blossom bloom season in PNW to a specific date. The University of Washington has a gorgeous open area surrounded by cherry blossom trees but keep in mind it can be VERY busy when the locals find out they are in bloom. Going at sunrise is your best bet for photo-taking opportunities!
For cherry blossoms, I like for us to be surprised. Take Claire and Denis' session at Kerry Park. We had no idea the cherry blossoms were out and it was such a wonderful surprise! Hard to plan in advanced but I love when it works out!
Tulips: April - May
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is famous around here! The 2022 festival is from April 1-30 this year. There isn’t just one location to see the festival, so you have options based on when each field blooms and what’s easiest for you to travel to. The fields are centrally located in the Valley between La Conner and Mount Vernon with events and happenings sprinkled all around Skagit Valley. The tulip fields are the crops of RoozenGaarde/Washington Bulb Co., Inc. and Tulip Town. You will need admission tickets to attend the festival, and no additional photography permit is needed here. They encourage you to bring a camera to take lots of pictures, so of course you should hire a professional and document an amazing experience here!
If you can’t make it to Skagit Valley, there’s the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon, or Schreiner’s Garden in Salem. Schreiner’s bloom season is a little later, so if you’re holding out for more guaranteed sunny weather, they are open in May!
Rhododendron: April - May
Meerkerk Gardens on Whidbey Island and Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle both have gorgeous rhododendron blooms for a flower field photoshoot. Rhododendron is such a unique shrub, and the blooms are always so vibrant and colorful! In the Seattle area especially, these are an essential part of the spring season.
Roses: May - September
Roses are a classic romantic feel for a flower field photoshoot. These fields also have the longest bloom season, so you have more flexibility in scheduling your session with the roses. There’s the Rose Garden in Washington Park in Portland, Oregon, as well as the Woodland Park Rose Garden in Seattle. Point Defiance in Tacoma also has great rose blooms, but they are under construction at the time of writing this!
Don’t get tricked into thinking a photoshoot among the roses means typical red blooms! The Rose Garden in Portland has over 610 rose varieties. You’ll find a ton of colors and unique bushes to learn about and take photos with in a rose garden.
Wildflowers at Mt. Rainier National Park
The Paradise and Sunrise regions of Mt. Rainier National Park have the best wildflower fields in the spring. Though you do need to stay on the trails to protect these delicate blooms, there’s nothing quite like experiencing the mountain views of Rainier with tons of colorful flowers dotting the ground! The notable species in the park to look out for are purple lupines, yellow glacier lilies, white avalanche lilies, and purple sentinels. Usually, the bloom season here is from July to about September. Check out this post to get some more specific information on where to go to catch the wildflowers for your session!
Lavender: July - September
There are tons of places in the Pacific Northwest where you can visit the lavender flower fields for a photoshoot! Lavender is such a unique bloom, and provides such a dreamy look to photos!
- Lavender Valley in Hood River, Oregon is open from July to September. You’ll need a day pass to bring a photographer with you to visit here!
- Funnily enough, there’s also a Lavender Valley Farm in Maple Valley, Washington, for anyone closer to Seattle! These two farms often get confused in a Google search, so double check which one you’re looking at!
- Sequim, Washington has the Jardin du Soleil Lavender Farm that’s open in July and August.
- The Woodinville Lavender Farm is open from June to August. Woodinville is a popular wedding venue as well — a wedding or elopement here is sure to be gorgeous!
Sunflowers: August - September
Maris Farms in Buckley, Washington has “Sunflower Days” events every year. You will be charged an admission fee. I recommend making a day of it here with wagon rides, corn hole, a beer garden, and the market. You’re even able to buy a few sunflowers to take home! You and your photographer will need regular admission tickets to take photos here, or you can show up on a designated “Photographer Day.” These are usually in October, and there is a fee for these days.
Dahlias: August - September
Triple Wren Farms in Ferndale, Washington and Swan Island Dahlias in Canby, Oregon both have beautiful flower fields for your photoshoot if the vibe of dahlias speaks to you! Triple Wren’s Dahlia Festival is in September 2022, and the fields at Swan Island open in August. A photography permit for a shoot at Triple Wren.
Year-Round Options for a Flower Field Photoshoot
Catching some of these beautiful flowers at the right time can be tricky! The good news is, there are also a few places where you can find gardens and nurseries to explore any time of the year.
- Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden
- Christianson's Nursery (also a great wedding venue - check out this wedding I photographed here!)
Which of these flowers would you most like to experience for a photoshoot? I can’t wait to hear from you about your flower field session ideas! Reach out to me here.
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