Interesting Nurseries To Buy Plants And Special Public Gardens To Visit In New England

I had a chance to visit Bedrock Gardens two weeks ago for a rare and unusual plant sale. I apologize for not listing it in the previous newsletter, but I only heard of it the day after publishing. Anyway, it’s not like any of you need more new and interesting plants for your garden! There were some great plant growers and nurseries in attendance. I managed to restrain myself and only picked up one plant! The following providers were in attendance, some of whom are on my Cool Stuff listing on my web site and some new ones that I had a chance to meet. I think it is important to support small, local businesses.

• Van Berkum Nursery, Deerfield, NH – A name you hear often in my newsletter. They are a wholesale nursery that provides a comprehensive range of perennials but specializes in native and woodland plants. I encourage you to utilize their online datebase and tools, and to look for their plants in quality nurseries or have your contractors order plants from them.
• Bagley Pond Perennials, Warner, NH – I first learned about this nursery when I spoke at the Lexington Living Landscapes native plant sale event. They had supplied the plants for the sale. Like Blue Stem Natives, that I covered in a previous newsletter, they are a native only nursery that has been around for seven years.
• Broken Arrow Nursery, Hamden, CT – As they claim: Growers of rare and unusual plants. If I had another half acre, I would go poor buying some fun plants from them. Wonderful nursery for a day trip or to order online.
• Fables Farm Dahlias, Jaffrey, NH – A very small Dahlia nursery that is growing some fun Dahlias that you can pick up or they can ship.
• The New England Daylilly Society – Some wonderful cultivars were available, and they only took cash, so I didn’t come home with several special varieties that I had already picked out. Oops.

After visiting the sale, I had an opportunity to explore this 30 acre gem of a public garden. As you can see from the photos below, it is a diverse garden consisting of many woodland spaces and a large meadow with a pond, winding manmade stream, and a number of ‘rooms’ and designed spaces.  They have gone to great effort to incorporate a large, and diverse, collection of art, sculpture, and structures to make the experience far more interesting. Another benefit is that there is ample opportunity to sit and enjoy the many spaces as they have integrated basic and artful seating across the property.

With all the early season plants sales done, I thought I would provide a list of gardens in the region that are worth visiting during the Summer and Fall. If you live in New England, these are must visit places! They are great places for inspiration. Some have special seasonal displays and events, so check out their websites to see their current happenings.

• Bedrock Gardens – Lee, NH
• Berkshire Botanical Garden – Stockbridge, MA
• Polly Hill Arboretum – West Tisbury, MA
• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens – Boothbay, ME
• Asticou Azalea Garden & Thuya Garden – Northeast Harbor, ME
• New England Botanic Garden – Boylston, MA
• Blithewold Gardens and Mansion – Bristol, RI
• Mass Horticultural Society – Wellesley, MA
• Garden in the Woods – Framingham, MA
• Heritage Museums and Garden – Sandwich, MA
• The Trustees (Crane Estate, Long Hill, Steven-Coolidge, Naumkeag)
• Arnold Arboretum – Jamaica Plain, MA

If you want to subscribe for free to my more detailed newsletter, please go to the following link: The Barker, a newsletter for gardeners in New England.