New Hampshire Gardens: Western Region

• Including tours of private residential gardens in Alstead, Dublin, Gilsum, Hancock, Peterborough, Surry, Walpole, and Westmoreland. 

Please e-mail listings, preferably in the format below, to: evergreenfoundationnh@gmail.com.

Photos by The Fells

Heather bed at The Fells

Photos by The Fells

Historic estate with perennial border and Rhododendron maximum at The Fells

Photos by New Hampshire State Parks

Rhododendron maximum in bloom at Rhododendron State Park

Daily, YEAR ROUND, but best in mid-July

Rhododendron State Park

424 Rockwood Pond Road, Fitzwilliam

A National Natural Landmark, named for its 16-acre grove of Rhododendron maximum, the largest colony of wild rhododendrons in northern New England. The huge, centuries-old broadleaf evergreen shrubs—also known as rosebays or great laurel—are viewed from a nearly level, handicapped-accessible .6-mile trail. Rosebays are less showy than other rhodies—their white blossoms tend to be sparse—so try to visit only during their peak bloom period: mid-July. The adjacent .1-mile Laurel Trail curves through eponymous mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), another native broadleaf evergreen shrub with shiny leathery leaves; its exquisite white flowers bloom in June. The Wildflower Trail passes herbaceous perennials. $4 on summer weekends; otherwise free, but donations are welcome.
603-532-8862
www.nhstateparks.org

Photo by Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

Augustus Saint-Gaudens sculpture and formal gardens

Photo by NPS/Don Freeman

Saint-Gaudens’ Standing Lincoln 

Photo by Shin-Boku

The Stroll Garden, a Japanese dry garden at Shin-Boku

Daily, YEAR ROUND

Shin-Boku Nursery

180 Beech Hill Road, Wentworth

Specializes in Japanese-style shin-boku: large, old needle-evergreen trees and shrubs carefully pruned—rather like giant bonsai—into beautiful picturesque shapes.  Some of these specimens are planted in the nursery’s exquisite “dry garden,” a classic Japanese landscape composition in which a large, irregular bed of pebbles represents a pond or other water body, handsome boulders represent islands or even mountains; the “water” is edged with graceful earth mounds, moss-covered rocks, evergreen shrubs, and stone sculpture and lanterns—which represent the landscape around the pond—and the entire composition is accessed by graceful bridges, each consisting of a single large piece of stone. (The Asticou Azalea Garden has a similar feature.) Free.
603-764-9993; best to call ahead
www.shin-bokunursery.com

Photo by Tracy Library

Garden at Tracy Library

Daily, YEAR ROUND

Garden at Tracy Library

304 Main Street, New London

The quadrilaterally symmetrical garden behind the public library, designed in 1926 by the Olmsted Brothers, features a square pool, with a bronze fountain, surrounded by lush perennial beds in neat parterres. Free.
603-526-4656
www.gardenattracy.org

Photo by The Garden Conservancy

Skatutakee Farm

Sunday, JUNE 7, 10-4

Skatutakee Farm

Hancock

Surrounding Hancock’s first dwelling—a farmhouse built in 1776—Skatutakee Garden boasts a 48-foot-long koi pond, extensive perennial beds, a vegetable garden, a woodland border, and a bog garden. The opening is part of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program. Admission is $10 and by pre-registration only at www.gardenconservancy.org.

Photo by The Garden Conservancy

Skatutakee Farm

Photos by The Garden Conservancy

Hollows End

Photo by The Garden Conservancy

Hollows End