​BEDROCK GARDENS
​​Bedrock Gardens is a nonprofit public garden that integrates unusual botanical specimens, unique sculptures, and interesting landscape design and features into an inspiring journey. This 30-acre site has recently transitioned from a historic farm and private garden to a public oasis of horticulture, art, and inspiration.  

Of Interest...

​We are open for the 2026 season! 
  • We are open Tuesday thru Friday and the first and third weekends of the month. 
  • Get a preview of  What's in Bloom below (scroll down)  or on our new Blooms page HERE.
  • Here are some Quick Links to Visiting, Membership, and Donate pages
  • And remember that memberships also make great presents. Explore that HERE.

Join us with a Membership

Join now, reap the benefits of membership all season long.

Joining now entitles you to benefits for the entire year. Members are valued as part of our family, contributing their talents, wisdom, and support to maintain and enrich our premier destination garden. Enjoy exclusive benefits and support our ongoing efforts. 

New Book on the Garden

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Jill Nooney has written a book on the garden called
​"Bedrock: The Making of a Public Garden" .
  • See a short fun promo trailer HERE.
  • Details and ordering information HERE.
  • For a very short, very cute TikTok, click HERE.

Links

- WMUR's NH Chronicle also produced a truly wonderful piece on us on June 30, 2025. See it HERE. (There is an ad at the start that you can skip.)
​- PBS's Windows to the Wild produced a great 14 minute segment on us on Sept 24, 2025. See it HERE.
- NH Chronicle produced another great segment on us, this time on the Fairy Hobbit House Festival. July 28, 2025. Watch it HERE.

AN OASIS OF HORTICULTURE, ART, AND INSPIRATION

​Plan Your Garden Visit

​Join one of our daily tours or discover the gardens on your own. No reservation required.

​Educational Programs

​Whether you're young, old, or somewhere in between, we offer classes for all gardening levels.

​Become A ​Member

And enjoy the gardens, exclusive perks and show your support for Bedrock Gardens.

WHAT'S IN BLOOM

You can click on each image to see the Latin name, information on each plant, and where they are found in the garden.
We are also working on a longitudinal look at what is in bloom through out the year on our new page: Blooms.
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Chinese Fringe Tree
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Redvien Enkianthus
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Fragrant Snowbell Tree
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Hartlage Wine Sweet Shrub
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Beauty Bush
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Large-Leaf Rhododendron spp.
Chinese Fringe Tree
Chinese Fringe Tree 
​(Chionanthus retusus) 

A prominent feature of Bedrock Gardens is the long double allée of Chinese fringe trees either side of the Torii Gate, running along one of primary organizing axes of the garden. In early June, these graceful trees are at their peak as they cover themselves with their mildly fragrant, feathery white flowers. Related to our native American fringe tree, this species originally grew in China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. Hardy and adaptable, the Chinese fringe tree prefers full sun or partial shade and can grow up to 30-40’; its relatively small size making it quite useful in gardens. In late summer/fall, the trees produce dark blue-black, olive-like fruit that are a food source for birds and animals and that provide another season of garden interest. Fall foliage is yellow and its exfoliating bark lends texture to the winter landscape. At Bedrock Gardens, Chinese fringe trees are the focus of the Allée (#6).
Fragrant Snowbell Tree
Fragrant Snowbell Tree 
(Styrax obassia) 

The Fragrant Snowbell is a small tree native to the Island of Hokkaido, Japan. It produces beautiful and abundant creamy white bell-shaped flowers in the late spring/early summer. The blooms are fragrant and have showy yellow stamens. They are borne in long (6-8”) hanging tresses from the ends of branches, enhancing their beauty. Historically used in a variety of ways in Japan that employed its strong wood for implements and umbrella ribs, more recently the tree has been used in street plantings where its fragrance can be enjoyed and its flowers seen from below. At Bedrock Gardens, the Fragrant Snowbell can be found on the far side of the pond in the Teahouse and Petit Pond garden (#29).
Beauty Bush
Beauty Bush, Beautybush 
(Kolkwitzia amabilis “Pink Cloud”) 
​
The beauty bush is closely related to two other lovely spring-bloom shrubs, Weigela and Abelia. All three produce abundant trumpet-shaped flowers that grow on long arching branches and can form an impressive sight in the late spring garden, particularly since beauty bush can grow 6-8’ high and 6-8’ wide. Blooms on the Pink Cloud cultivar are larger and more plentiful than those of the species. At Bedrock Gardens, beauty bush is found in the Ping Garden, adjacent to the Allée (#6) and Torii Gate (#11) gardens.
Redvein Enkianthus
Redvein Enkianthus 
(Enkianthus campanulatus) 

Redvein enkianthus is a deciduous large to medium-sized shrub that produces an abundance of lovely bell-shaped flowers in the late spring. Its species name references the form of the flowers (“campanula”, Latin for bell) and red veining on the flowers is reflected in its common name. Native to Japan, where it grows in open woodlands, enkianthus prefers moist acidic soils and partial shade. In the fall its foliage glows in shades of yellow, orange, and red, providing bright color echoes of the autumn tree foliage changing above it. Hybridization has developed cultivars that vary in bloom color from predominantly creamy white to largely maroon with less red veining. A hardy, unfussy plant with multiple season interest, enkianthus is an excellent shrub for many New England woodland gardens. At Bedrock Gardens, redvein enkianthus can be found in the Shrubaria garden (#28).
Large Leaf Rhodondendron
Large – Leaf Rhododendrons 
(Rhododendron spp.) 

Early to mid-June is the season for the extravagant blooming of rhododendrons throughout Bedrock Gardens. This large genus, which ranges in size from small bushes to substantial shrubs and trees, includes azaleas and is native to forests throughout the world. They have been popular garden plants for hundreds of years and there are a great many cultivars and hybrids whose flowers range from white through yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks to deep purple and can include contrasting spots and multiple colors.  Happiest in partly shaded woodlands as understory shrubs, they are adaptable enough to thrive in a wide variety of garden environments. A large rhododendron in full bloom can take your breath away. At Bedrock Gardens, rhododendron can be found in many areas, but are concentrated in the Funnel (#13), Swaleway, (#14), and Straight and Narrow (#15) gardens and are a major feature of the Shrubaria (#28) garden.
Hartlage Wine Sweet Shrub
Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub, 
Raulston’s Allspice 
(Calycanthus x raulstonii “Hartlage Wine”) 

This sweetshrub or spice bush is a thicket-forming rangy shrub that is an interspecies cross between 2 species of sweetshrub. It produces showy maroon fragrant flowers in late May – June and grows best in partial shade. Its flowers can persist well into the summer and are larger and more attractive than its parent species. Plants in the genus Calycanthus derive their common name of sweetshrub or strawberry bush from their bloom scent, described as a mix of pineapple, strawberry, and banana. The Hartlage Wine sweetshrub was named by its hybridizer, Richard Hartlage, an undergraduate student at a NC State University, to honor J.C. Raulston, a professor at the university. At Bedrock Gardens, this sweetshrub can be found in the Shrubaria garden (#28).
 
Posted 6-8-2026

​Special Thanks to Our ​Sponsors:

And Our Lead Community & Business  Partners:

​"...one of the most beautiful and intriguing
landscapes in New Hampshire."
- Boston Globe
Visit Bedrock Gardens
19 High Road 
Lee, NH 03861-6202​
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Mailing Address
45 High Road 
Lee, NH 03861-6202
603-659-2993​
​[email protected]