If you’ve always wished you could step into a fairy tale, this could be your moment. Welcome to Lotusland. It’s the former home of Madame Ganna Walska, who was born in 1887, found fame as an opera singer, and then funneled her creativity toward this 37-acre estate in Montecito, her home for several decades. The property (note: reservations required to visit) shows what’s possible if you have a near-endless supply of money, time, and access to the world’s top gardening experts, and it makes for an exquisite day trip while exploring coastal California. It’s hard to describe Lotusland with just one word. Lush? Verdant? Magical? You can decide as you wander the paths snaking through land thick with foliage. You’ll explore the Blue Garden, then stretches of aloe, bromeliads, cacti, ferns, topiaries, and yes, its namesake lotuses in the Water Garden. This is a peaceful place for contemplation, whether about life or how to bring some of this over-the-top style to your own garden.

Few places can compete with the sheer variety of Hawaii’s garden scene. Though it makes up just over 5% of the Earth’s land surface, Hawaii is home to one-third of the world’s plant species. Not too shabby. You can visit any island at any time of the year and leave with enough of a garden-driven mind refresh to keep you thriving right until the first blooms emerge outside your house. But if you’ve never been and want a perfect Hawaii flora starter set, head to the Waimea Valley on Oahu, home to 52 themed gardens. I recommend the Erythrina garden, where you can look up to see the towering Wiliwili tree. Its bright red seeds often play a starring role in leis, and its trunks served up the wood of choice for early surfboards. There’s more (much more): 5,000 varieties of plants that reveal the true beauty and variety of the tropics. Memories of a dreary winter evaporate within moments.

In the months before Texas Hill Country gets completely swamped by summer heat, the region goes into wildflower overdrive. Now, spring in Texas isn’t exactly cool, but with the rolling hills and fields turned into technicolor dreams — imagine patchworks of Texas bluebonnets, the bright red flowers of Texas paintbrushes, and white and pink rain lilies standing tall – the heat can be forgiven. The main flower fields tend to get heavy, heavy traffic. No thanks. Take a slower approach, and try lesser-known spots like Blanco State Park, the Bluebonnet Railroad Bridge near Kingsland, and the Marble Falls Wildflower Trails (which owe a debt to Lady Bird Johnson’s 1965 wildflower seed distribution) instead of the very well-traveled Willow City Loop. Everywhere you look, you’ll find inspiration for your planting beds back home.

While so many Spring Breakers head to the beach, why not set your sights on the Southwest for more rugged terrain? Spring hiking in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains outside Albuquerque, NM, forces a person to leave the rest of the world behind and lose themself in this singular terrain. Many of the area cacti shed a bit of their don’t come too close vibes, thanks to some insanely brilliant blooms. Hedgehog cacti send out bright red or strawberry pink flowers that look as though they’re perched ever so carefully atop the plants’ spiky exteriors. Their kissing cousins, the tree cholla, will vie for your attention too. The cacti’s long arms send out magenta blooms in late spring. Prickly pear cactus and fragrant piñon trees also call the area home. The colors and jagged shapes you see can offer an otherworldly escape.