Bedrock Gardens
Encyclopedia
Bedrock Gardens is a 20 acres (8.1 ha) garden located on a 35 acres (14.2 ha) property in Lee, New Hampshire
, notable for its landscape design
, its horticulture and its sculpture.
, Bedrock Gardens was bought by its present owners in 1980, complete with a farm house, built circa 1740, a historic barn and three-holer outhouse
. Over the next 20 years, it was extensively improved. The wooded areas were lumbered, a trail system was developed, and it was managed as a tree farm
. A wildlife pond was built, and work was started on its multiple perennial and shrub beds. Hardscape
in the form of walls, paths, water features and topographical improvements, have been added. Today it is noted for its concept of "the garden as a journey," with a starting point, "events" (or garden spaces) as places to go, and something to do along the way.
ed: a formal garden with pools, fountains, and water features; a 1 acre (0.404686 ha) wildlife pond with a bridge, and 2 miles (3 km) of woodland trails." The smaller gardens include a more formal parterre
, the spiritual "Spiral" garden, and the primitive "Dark Woods."
in the middle of a double allée
. The owner of Bedrock Gardens is the sculptor Jill Nooney who is sometimes noted for her whimsy. Nancy Grimes, the owner of New England Garden Ornaments in North Brookfield
, called Nooney "the most imaginative and energetic force in modern American garden ornamentation." Many of her sculptures are from old agricultural tools.
.
Lee, New Hampshire
Lee is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,330 at the 2010 census. The town is a rural farm and bedroom community, being close to the University of New Hampshire.-History:...
, notable for its landscape design
Landscape design
Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practised by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice landscape design bridges between landscape architecture and garden design.-Design scope:...
, its horticulture and its sculpture.
History
Named for its ever-present ledgeStratum
In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...
, Bedrock Gardens was bought by its present owners in 1980, complete with a farm house, built circa 1740, a historic barn and three-holer outhouse
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
. Over the next 20 years, it was extensively improved. The wooded areas were lumbered, a trail system was developed, and it was managed as a tree farm
Tree farm
A tree farm is a privately owned forest managed for timber production. The term tree farm is also used to refer to plantations and to tree nurseries.-American Tree Farm System:...
. A wildlife pond was built, and work was started on its multiple perennial and shrub beds. Hardscape
Hardscape
Hardscape, in the practice of landscaping, refers to the paved areas like streets & sidewalks, large business complexes & housing developments, and other industrial areas where the upper soil profile is no longer exposed to the actual surface of the Earth...
in the form of walls, paths, water features and topographical improvements, have been added. Today it is noted for its concept of "the garden as a journey," with a starting point, "events" (or garden spaces) as places to go, and something to do along the way.
Interest points
Bedrock Garden's main attractions fall into three categories: landscape design, horticulture, and art.Landscape design
Bedrock Gardens include "garden beds full of unusual specimens of trees and shrubs: a diamond-patterned, 100 feet (30.5 m) fence on which 11 varieties of apple trees have been espalierEspalier
Espalier is the horticultural and ancient agricultural practice of controlling woody plant growth by pruning and tying branches so that they grow into a flat plane, frequently in formal patterns, against a structure such as a wall, fence, or trellis, and also plants which have been shaped in this...
ed: a formal garden with pools, fountains, and water features; a 1 acre (0.404686 ha) wildlife pond with a bridge, and 2 miles (3 km) of woodland trails." The smaller gardens include a more formal parterre
Parterre
A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all...
, the spiritual "Spiral" garden, and the primitive "Dark Woods."
Horticulture
The Gardens contain over one thousand different plant species, many of which are in perennial beds, arranged with attention to texture, color, and size. There are other collections, such as the dwarf conifer collection, and the rock garden. The Gardens are said to "have some of the most amazing plants and plantings I've seen in a private garden."Art
Scattered throughout the 20 developed acres are small and large pieces of sculpture by several different artists. The larger pieces include two large arches, and a large ToriiTorii
A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred...
in the middle of a double allée
Allee
Allee may refer to:* Alfred Allee , U.S. sheriff.* J. Frank Allee , U.S. merchant and politician.* Warder Clyde Allee , U.S. ecologist, discoverer of the Allee effect.* Verna Allee , U.S. business consultant....
. The owner of Bedrock Gardens is the sculptor Jill Nooney who is sometimes noted for her whimsy. Nancy Grimes, the owner of New England Garden Ornaments in North Brookfield
Brookfield, New Hampshire
Brookfield is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 712 at the 2010 census.-History:Settled in 1726 by Scottish-Irish immigrants, the town was first named Coleraine. Fertile ground made it popular with farmers. It was later renamed Brookfield, after...
, called Nooney "the most imaginative and energetic force in modern American garden ornamentation." Many of her sculptures are from old agricultural tools.
Further details
While Bedrock Gardens is currently privately owned, it is open to the public four days during the year, or by private appointment. Active attempts are being made to turn it into a public gardenPublic Garden
Public Garden is the second mini-album by Dragon Ash; released in 1997. Realism II was used as the theme for Asahi National Broadcasting Co.'s "Sports Spotters" show.-Track listing:#"Realism II" – 2:55#"Ability → Normal" – 3:05...
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