We’re deep in the throes of a New England winter here in the Northampton area and for us at the botanic garden that means something very exciting: we get to start preparing for the bulb show. During the next few weeks our greenhouse horticulturist will be pulling pots of bulbs that were potted up in the fall from the cooler, and bringing them into the greenhouse spaces to wake them up and get them growing in time for the show. 

The 2026 Spring Bulb Show will open on Saturday, March 7, 2026 and will run through Sunday, March 22, 2026. We are open for extended hours during the show:

• 10 am - 4 pm, daily
• Members-only hours: 9-10 am daily (Not a member, but want to enjoy this great perk? Join today!)
• Extended hours on Fridays & Saturdays until 8 pm

For groups of 10 or more, we ask that you please sign up in advance. 

An opening lecture by botanist and writer Peter Grima will kick off this year’s show on Friday, March 6, 2026 at 7:30 with a preview of the bulb show to follow. Grima’s lecture, Emily Dickinson: Western Mass Botanist, will delve into Dickinson’s botanical interest, the expansive herbarium she created, and how her poetry can reflect this exploration into the plant life of Amherst and the surrounding region. 

While the greenhouse is bursting with bulbs, be sure to check out the art exhibits and installations on display in Lyman. As in the previous two years, a student-commissioned art installation will be on display in the bulb show. This year there will be two installations, one in each room of the show, created by Smith senior Annika Peterson '26 and second year student Cola Shi ’28. (More information about the 2026 Bulb Show Installation to come.)

Visitors can also explore  Koanbanchinemma (do you see the light (in me)) in the Church Gallery and in the west-facing hall of Lyman. The exhibit features six Nipmuc artists, cultural and land stewards: Rachel Healing Willow Bayliss (Natick Nipmuc), Willow Daly and Keely Curliss (of Pequoig Farm), Scott  Strong Hawk Foster, Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines Roberson, Jr., and Kimberly Toney. At its core, this exhibition calls for a heightened awareness of the ways in which Indigenous knowledge systems can awaken our senses, our understanding, and our collective responsibility to care for the natural world. Through the contributions of Nipmuc artists and cultural practitioners, this work foregrounds Indigenous methodologies, challenging dominant narratives of environmental stewardship and knowledge production. Learn more about Koanbanchinemma. 

Logistics:

With all of its annual beauty the bulb show offers our community, it continues to be a very popular event expanding our daily visitors by a lot. Visitors come from near and far! Our Smith community, our local Northampton community and even our further afield New England community come out each year to take in the beauty of the show.  Each year we are amazed at how many people can walk through our doors during the two weeks of the show. Each year we expect around 20,000 people for the show. We anticipate we will get just as many, if not more, for this year’s show. That means that at times it can be crowded, and additionally that parking can be tricky. 

Please note, parking is not permitted on College Lane. During the show, the two visitor parking spaces in front of Lyman are blocked off to serve as a drop off location for visitors who aren’t able to walk to Lyman. Parking can be found on Elm Street near central campus, in the visitor spots in the Smith College parking garage on West Street, in the long-term municipal lot behind the Forbes Library (also on West Street), as well as downtown. On weekends and after 5 p.m. on weekdays, permit-only campus lots open up for general parking. When planning to visit the show this year, we encourage you to make time for parking as well. 

While a $5 donation is suggested, the show is free and open to the public–as is Lyman all year long. The goal is for the botanic garden, and all that it has to offer, be accessible to everyone. We are able to operate in this way thanks to the support of the college, as well as from the steadfast support of our Friends of the Botanic Garden.