Rhododendron maximum in Rhododendron State Park
New Hampshire Gardens: Western Region
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Photos by The Fells
Heather bed at The Fells
Daily, YEAR ROUND, dawn to dusk
The Fells
Route 103A, Newbury
Historic summer home of John Hay, secretary of state under presidents McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt; extensive gardens created by Hay’s son Clarence and Clarence’s wife, Alice, including a large hillside rock garden, walled gardens, perennial borders, and woodland gardens on 83 acres on lake Sunapee. $5-10. Main house and shop open weekends, spring and fall; Wednesday-Sunday in the summer.
603-763-4789
www.thefells.org
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
Daily, YEAR ROUND, dawn to dusk
Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
Saint-Gaudens Road, Cornish
Historic home and studios of noted sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Grounds include his sculptures and formal gardens with fountains and pools, enclosed by tall clipped evergreen hedges. $10 from Memorial Day weekend to October 31, when buildings are open. Free the rest of the year.
603-675-2175
www.nps.gov/saga
Photo by NPS/Don Freeman
Saint-Gaudens’ Standing Lincoln
Photo by Shin-Boku
Dry garden at Shin-Boku
Daily, YEAR ROUND
Shin-boku Nursery
180 Beech Hill, 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 higher 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