Where to See Flowers on the Outer Banks

When you think of nature on the Outer Banks, ocean, sand, and sound naturally spring to mind. Maybe you remember the sprawling maritime forest at Nags Head Woods Preserve or the dunes of Jockey's Ridge State Park. 

 

But flowers thrive here too, sometimes wild, more often carefully tended in manicured beds, dazzling the eye with a rainbow of colors through the seasons. Want to see some of the most beautiful blooms on the OBX? Here’s where to go.

 

 

No surprise, the top spot for flowers on the Outer Banks is the stunning 10-acre Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo. This recreation of a 16th-century English pleasure garden is about as picturesque as it gets. 

 

Spring and early summer put on the biggest show, including nearly 50 cultivars of rhododendrons, close to 100 cultivars of hydrangeas and roses of all kinds. If you’re curious what’s in season, check out their bloom calendar. It runs the gamut from Japanese cherry trees in February to lace-like wisteria in April to the magnolias of June and November’s chrysanthemums. Poppies, daisies, foxglove, canna lilies, camellias, and more — there’s always something blooming at the Elizabethan Gardens. 

 

But in true English garden style, the natural beauty is elevated by art: the urns and arches, fountains and brick walls. Even the hedges give a sculptured look to the grounds.

 

Admire the large bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth I, the graceful marble figure of Virginia Dare in the shadow of an ancient live oak, and the stone lions supporting a bench where you might stop and rest. As any English landscape designer of 500 years ago could tell you, it’s these architectural details that add an element of cultivated grace to a garden. 

 

The Sunken Garden sums up this blend of art and nature to a tee: a perfect square of 32 symmetrical parterres filled with blooms that vary by season (pansies, ageratum, begonias). At the center in an Italian fountain, a weathered Aphrodite holds court, facing east.

 

Follow her gaze, and you’ll reach the Overlook Terrace with a view of the Roanoke Sound. It’s just one of the many scenic vistas around the garden. If you enjoy photography, flowers, history, sculpture, or beauty in general, you’ll be charmed.

 

Open daily from sunup to sundown and free to visit, the Dare County Arboretum and Teaching Garden is easy to add to any Outer Banks itinerary. Spend a casual half hour strolling this Kill Devil Hills oasis — longer if you want to read the labels for the many plants. The paths and beds are well cared for by the Dare County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers and local garden clubs, and you're welcome to bring Fido (on a leash). They also have picnic tables if you fancy an al fresco lunch.

 

Each mini garden here features a slightly different style. In the Dune Garden, you’ll see daffodils, irises, columbines, and snapdragons in spring. Summer brings black-eyed Susans, among other perennials, while fall leans into the rich, feathery mauve of purple muhly grasses and pale goldenrods. Across the street, the Central Garden blooms brightest in summer with hydrangeas, gardenias, jasmine, and viburnum. 

 

But the Butterfly Garden might be the showiest of them all. It’s not just the flowers — camellias, azaleas, zinnias, and more. The energetic butterflies and Instagram-worthy butterfly bench add a touch of whimsy.

 

Elsewhere, enjoy the textures of the Sensory Garden, the smells of the Herb Garden (lemon balm, pineapple sage, Mexican mint marigold), and the unique landscape of the Rain Garden. There’s also a short wetlands walk and several benches scattered about where you can relax in the shade of dozens of native trees and shrubs — this is an arboretum after all. 

 

Tip: On Wednesday mornings, Master Gardeners are working in the garden and happy to answer questions.

Ever noticed the small red-orange flowers that grow near the ocean, sprouting in the sand right where the grass disappears and the beach takes over? That’s Gaillardia pulchella, part of the aster family, more commonly known as beach blanket flower. 

 

You’ll find it all up and down the Outer Banks, particularly on the northern beaches of Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, and Southern Shores. These hardy plants thrive in sandy soil and bloom from spring through winter.

 

Another drought-resistant plant with pretty petals is the Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus. If you see canary yellow flowers basking in the sun beachside in June and July, surrounded by barbed green pads, you’ve found it. The prickly pear is aptly named, though, so look but don’t touch.

September through winter, these cacti provide another pop of color as purple-red berries replace the flowers.

 

And finally, I have to give a nod to sea oats: Uniola paniculata. Even if they aren’t flowers, it's hard to deny their charm when they frame the ocean, bending in the breeze. You can find sea oats year-round along the beaches, but the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway has some of the best stretches of crowd-free views.

 

 

The Kitchen Garden is a practical place, growing food like carrots, onions, turnips, and herbs as well as medicinal plants. You’ll also glimpse soft magenta coneflowers and bright French marigolds blooming alongside the produce as early as May, though these serve a purpose beyond mere ornamentation. The marigolds can be used as a dye and are a natural pest deterrent. The coneflowers were believed to aid in purifying the blood.

 

In September and October, sunchokes bloom all around the property. This native plant, called Jerusalem Artichokes in a number of 1850s recipes, has edible tubers the texture of watercress.

 

Because this is a living history farm, you just might get to see some of these flowers in action. During the annual sheep shearing in spring, interpreters dye some of the wool marigold yellow. There's also usually something period-appropriate being steeped, fried, baked, or boiled in the cookhouse, and if it's ready when you visit, you're welcome to try a taste. It might be yaupon holly tea made from the bush near the live oak, lacy corn cakes, or samples of whatever has been freshly harvested.

 

As you finish your self-guided tour, walk across the street to admire the replica 19th-century windmill up-close. If the crape myrtle trees, planted along Highway 64, are blossoming, it’s an irresistible photo op.