Massachusetts gardens display a variety of plant life and human cultivation
Sodem and Main Roads
Tyringham, MA 01238
Phone: 413-298-3239
Fax: 413-298-5239
A rushing stream, native deciduous trees, a rounded knoll, and rising meadows are blended into an arrangement of both formal and informal beauty. Garden features include the fountain pond, pine park, rams head terrace, bowling green, regency bridge, and trellis triptych.
Hours: Mid-June to mid-September, Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, 1-5 p.m.
Routes 102 and 183
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Phone: 413-298-3926
Both functional and ornamental, the Berkshire Botanical Garden is among the oldest in the United States.The collections emphasize plants that are indigenous to or thrive in the Berkshires; more than 3,000 species and varieties are represented.Classes, workshops, lectures and special events are offered year-round.
Major annual events include the Plant Sale, the Flower Show, the Fete des Fleurs Garden Party, the Harvest Festival and the Holiday Fair. The Harvest Festival was first held in 1934 as the Garden’s first fundraising event and has since become the Berkshires’ best-known community gathering.
Hours: May to October, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $12; seniors and students, $10; children under age 12, free.
Art School Road
Monterey, MA 01245
Phone: 413-528-6888
The Bidwell House was built circa 1750 as the parsonage for the first minister to the the present-day towns of Monterey and Tyringham. Surrounding the house are terraced stone walls brimming with perennial beds. these provide a fabulous setting for this gem of a Georgian saltbox. The remaining acreage is woodlands laced with hiking trails and foot paths leading to historical landmarks throughout the property.
Beautiful in all seasons, the grounds and gardens ARE a pleasant adjunct to a visit to the museum. Additionally, The Kitchen Garden demonstrates the early colonial style and variety of plants and 19th-century Shaker vegetable gardening. Near it is an heirloom herb garden. There is also the remains of an old orchard.
Hours: Late May to mid-October, Thursday through Monday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
15 College Lane
Northampton, MA 01063
Phone: 413-585-2740
Today, the Botanic Garden includes thousands of plants, including those grown under glass in the Lyman Conservatory and outdoors in the campus areboretum — our landscape for learning — and various specialty gardens around campus. Additionally, there are 60,000 pressed specimens available for research in the herbarium. Botanic Garden activities and collections include not only plants but also books and other resource materials (including our newsletter, Botanic Garden News), an international seed exchange, research and conservation, and diverse events.
Major events include the two-week Spring Bulb Show and Fall Chrysanthemum Show.
Hours: Daily year-round.
Admission: Free.
Williamsville Road, one mile south of Routes 183 and 102
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Phone: 413-298-3579
Chesterwood is the country home, studio, and gardens of America’s foremost sculptor of public monuments, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), creator of the Minute Man and Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial. It is situated on 122 acres in the idyllic hamlet of Glendale near Stockbridge. Each year, during the month of May, French left his permanent home and studio in New York for six months and moved with his family to Chesterwood, where he worked on 201 commissions. Many of French’s plaster sketches, including models of his Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial, are on view today in his studio as well as in the permanent exhibit in Barn Gallery. Visitors to Chesterwood are invited to explore a self-guided tour of the beautiful formal gardens and woodland paths created by French himself.
Hours: Late May-early October, daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $16; children age 13-17, $8
19 Main St.
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Phone: 413-298-3239
Built in 1739 and originally located atop Prospect Hill, this National Historic Landmark was disassembled, moved, and restored between 1926 and 1927. Landscape architect Fletcher Steele designed the Colonial Revival garden, which features a colonial-style dooryard garden of circular brick paths enclosed by a tidewater cypress fence. A replica of an old cobbler shop serves as the entrance to the property; a grape arbor in the Well Courtyard behind the house leads to a small Native American museum.
Hours: Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day, daily, 10 a.m.- to 5 p.m. Fee charged.
Prospect Hill Road
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Phone: 413-298-3239
Fax: 413-298-5239
Eight acres of terraced gardens
This 44-room house was the summer cottage of the Choate family, and features original furniture, ceramics, and artwork collected from America, Europe, and the Far East. Famous for its eight acres of terraced gardens and landscaped grounds, transformed from 1926 to 1956 into separate garden rooms such as the afternoon garden, rose garden, evergreen garden, Chinese garden, arborvitae walk, and linden walk. The most famous feature of the landscape is Steele’s Blue Steps, a series of deep blue fountain pools flanked by four flights of stairs overhung by birch trees.
Hours: Memorial Day to Columbus Day, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission fee for non-members.
Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary
Off Nathan Ellis Highway
East Falmouth, MA 02536
Phone: 508-362-7475
Toll-Free: 800-AUDUBON
Ashumet’s most spectacular feature is Grassy Pond, a globally rare ecosystem characterized by the species of rare wildflowers that bloom along its sandy shores during low water in late summer and early fall; the pink Plymouth gentian is particularly beautiful. As its name suggests, Ashumet Holly is well known for its 65 varieties of holly trees planted throughout the sanctuary. Self-guided trails take visitors through the sanctuary.
Admission: Adults, $3; children age 2-12, $2
67 Grove Street
Sandwich, MA 02563
Phone: 508-888-3300
Fostering lifelong learning by preserving and sharing the history, industry, art and horticulture of America
Heritage Museums & Gardens celebrates the American Spirit. We offer each of our visitors a unique experience ranging from quiet contemplation to active exploration. The Museum is famous for its Dexter Rhododrenrons that bloom late May into early June. The beautifully landscaped grounds are a naturalized woodland park on the edge of upper Shawme Pond. A Shaker round barn houses the J. K. Lilly III Antique Automobile Collection with its stunning display of antique automobiles. The American History Museum will be opening this summer with several new exhibits. An operating hand-carved carousel and many of America's most distinguished artists' works are on exhibit in the Art Museum. Open April 1 to October 31, from 10:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.
South Sandwich Road
Mashpee & Sandwich, MA 02563
Phone: 508-679-2115
Open: Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset
Lowell Holly’s 135 acres feature stands of a wide variety of holly trees, rhododendrons, and mountain laurel, but the property’s most intriguing feature may be its two peninsular knolls, jutting into Mashpee Pond and Wakeby Pond. Both vantage points offer spectacular views over these large ponds. Mashpee and Wakeby ponds are renowned for their exceptional trout, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, and bluegill. Four miles of carriage paths and footpaths connect all points of interest, including two small sandy beaches. Activities at the reservation include swimming, fishing, boating, bicycling, birdwatching, hiking, food concessions, restrooms, bathhouses, and wheelchair access. Year-round parking area is free to all. Seasonal parking area is available Memorial Day through Labor Day. Fee is $6 per car or motorcycle. Boat landing fee is $6 for daily landing fee or $40 for seasonal permit.
Parker and West Bay Roads
Osterville, MA 02655
Phone: 508-428-5861
The Captain Jonathan Parker House was built in 1824 and was originally a half-Cape house. Capt. Parker was one of many schooner captains in the village that made his trade in fishing and transportation up and down the seacoast. Many additions to the house were made over the next centuries. The house contains seven rooms of historical maps, 18th and 19th century furniture, art and ceramics. The Osterville Garden Club designed and maintains each year a 19th century ornamental garden that marks the entrance to the Museum.
Hours: Late May to mid-September, Thursdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Private tours by appointment.
Admission: Free.
11 French Drive
P.O. Box 598
Boylston, MA 01505
Phone: 508-869-6111
Fax: 508-869-0314
Experience
Located on 132 bucolic acres in Worcester County, less than an hour from Boston, Tower Hill is one of the largest and most comprehensive botanic gardens in the region. It is the home of the Worcester County Horticultural Society, founded in 1842 to "advance the science, and encourage and improve the practice of horticulture." The breathtaking view provides an extraordinary setting for a variety of garden styles, at once stunningly beautiful and highly educational. Stroll through a Lawn Garden, Secret Garden, Cottage Garden, Vegetable Garden, Systematic Garden, and magical woodland paths. In winter, the Orangerie is filled with flowering subtropical plants. Browse the Gift Shop and enjoy lunch at Twigs Café.
125 Arborway
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Phone: 617-524-1718
This 265 acre site is part of the emerald necklace of Boston parks designed in the late 1800s by Frederick Law Olmsted. The arboretum is a major center for plant research, with about 14,000 woody plants representing nearly 5,000 botanical classifications. The living collection is supported by comprehensive documentation, herbaria containing more than 1.3 million specimens, extensive library and archival holdings, and a state-of-the-art research center. The Visitor Center has maps and self-guided tour brochures; exhibits about the Arboretum and plants, and seasonal art exhibitions; a shop featuring books and educational items for children and adults; activities for children; and restrooms.
Hours: Grounds open year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. Visitor Center open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays; and noon-4 p.m. Sundays. Closed holidays.
Admission: Free.
Boston Public Garden
at Beacon, Charles, Boylston, and Arlington streets
Boston, MA
The Boston Public Garden was established in 1837 by a group of Proprietors as the first public botanical garden in the United States. In 1852 it was returned to city control, and after passage of the Public Garden act of 1858 was laid out essentially in its present form. The beauty of the Boston Public Garden lies in the Lagoon, Swan Boats, sculpture, fountains, flower beds, and its notable trees. Today the Boston Public Garden is a place of public pride, planted and sustained for present and future generations.
180 Hemenway Road
Framingham, MA 01701
Phone: 508-877-7630
The New England Wild Flower Society maintains this garden, the largest landscaped collection of native plants in the northeastern United States. This ever-changing living museum—New England’s premier wildflower garden—has more than 1,000 native plant species, with many rare and endangered native specimens throughout the gardens, as well as the unique New England Rare Plant Garden.
Hours: April 14–October 31; Tuesdays through Sundays; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. After October, trails close for the season. Museum Shop remains open with winter hours. Guided walks offered free with admission Tuesdays through Fridays at 10 a.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Admission: Adults over age 18, $10; seniors over age 65, $7; youths age 3-17, $5
26 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617 495-3045
Botanical Museum contains the world famous collection of Blaschka glass flowers, hand-blown detailed glass models of dozens of flower species. It’s like a garden made of glass.
Hours: Daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Fee charged.
185 Lyman Street
Waltham, MA 02452
Phone: 781-891-1985
The Lyman Estate Greenhouses is complex of four greenhouses consists of an 1804 grape house, 1820 camellia house, 1840 orchid house, and a 1930 sales greenhouse where visitors can purchase plants to take home. Rare orchids covered with exotic flowers bloom throughout the year. During the summer, Black Hamburg and Green Muscat grapevines are laden with enormous clusters of fruit. Autumn in the greenhouses arrives with the sweet scent of citrus plants in bloom, followed by the arrival of their fruit. When winter is at its bleakest, the century-old camellia collection puts forth its magnificent blooms. The expert horticultural staff offers advice and assistance with plant selection and culture. The greenhouse specializes in orchids, exotic house plants, citrus fruits, camellias, and herbs. Five large specialty plant sales are held during the year.
Hours: December 15-July 15, Wednesday-Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; July 16-December 14, Wednesday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481
Phone: 781-283-3049
The Margaret C. Ferguson Greenhouses contain over 1000 specimens of desert, tropical and semi-tropical species. The Alexandra Botanic Garden and Hunnewell Arboretum offer hundreds of specimen trees and shrubs in 22 acres of Olmsted-inspired landscape.
Hours: Year-round, daily, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
South Indian Hill Road
West Tisbury, MA 02568
Phone: 508-627-8687
This Christiantown memorial is the site of an Indian burial ground and the Mayhew Chapel, named after Thomas Mayhew Jr., a missionary. This site is owned by the Wampanoag Tribe and grounds are maintained by Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club. Includes a wildflower sanctuary.
Fee charged.
Dike Road, Chappaquiddick Island
Martha’s Vineyard, MA 02568
Phone: 508-627-7689
Fax: 508-627-3659
Immerse yourself in the meditative qualities of the landscape.
You'll want to stay forever in this Japanese-style garden set within an open pine forest. The flora includes mixed plantings of native and exotic trees and shrubs, some rare. The garden’s signature feature is a small pond with an island that is reached by walking over an arched bridge. Winding footpaths take visitors through a birch walk, camellia dell, stone garden, and hillside garden. A rustic meditation shelter offers broad views of the garden and landscape.
Hours: Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. No charge.
Ingersoll Street
Danvers, MA 01923
Phone: 978-774-9165
Mansion built in the 19th century features decorative gardens and a teahouse.
Hours: Gardens open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-dusk; Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon. A guided tour of the house and gardens is offered May-July. Reservations required. Fee charged.
161 Washington Street
Marblehead, MA 01945
Phone: 617-631-1069
Beauty and history
Stroll through the historic gardens at this 1768 mansion. The site also features exhibits of military and maritime items, antique children’s toys and furnishings, and examples of decorative arts from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Hours: June through October, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fee charged.
53 South Main Street
Ipswich, MA 01938
Phone: 508-356-2811
The house was built in the 1650s and moved to its present site in the 1920s. With more than 60 authentic Colonial flowers and herbs, the garden in front of the Whipple House represents a traditional housewife’s garden of the 17th century. The plantings are made up mostly of herbs that would be used in cooking and for medicinal purposes.
Hours: May 25-October 22, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays by appointment only. Tours begin on the hour. Fee charged.
572 Essex Street
Beverly, MA 01915
Phone: 978-921-1944
Fax: 978-921-1948
From 1916 to 1979, Long Hill was the summer home of author Ellery Sedgwick and his first wife, Mabel Cabot Sedgwick, an accomplished horticulturist and gardener. Five acres of cultivated grounds are laid out in a series of separate garden rooms and accented by garden ornaments, structures, and statuary.
Hours: Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. No charge.
Lynn Woods
Great Woods and Penny Brook Roads
Lynn, MA
Phone: 617-593-7773
This 2,200-acre municipal forest is the perfect spot for hiking, rock climbing, bird watching, cross-country skiing or just enjoying the view. A rose garden adds to the scenery.
Hours: Sunrise to sunset. No charge.
139 Andover Street
North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: 978-682-3580
Fax: 978-682-3580
The house’s collections include Chinese porcelain and other Asian artifacts, American furniture, and American and European decorative arts. Landscape includes a perennial garden, a kitchen and cut flower garden, a rose garden, a French potager garden with a unique brick serpentine wall, and a greenhouse complex.
Hours: Gardens: Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. House: Guided tours Mother’s Day through Columbus Day weekend, Sundays, 1-5 p.m.; July-August, Wednesdays, 2-4 p.m. Fee: Garden: no charge; house, fee charged.
2468B Washington Street / Route 138
Canton, MA 02021
Phone: 781-821-2977
sprawling gardens on an historic estate
Once a Colonial farmstead, the property was transformed into a country estate. The property includes a country house, landscaped grounds, and a complex of farm and estate buildings, manicured lawns, a walled garden, and a brick-edged garden. Visitors may explore more than 60 acres of meadow and woodland along three miles of trails.
Hours: Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. No charge.
947 Park Street, Route 118
Attleboro, MA 02703
Phone: 508-222-5410
These historic statuary gardens were designed as areas for meditation and worship. During the Christmas holiday a unique and decorative light display is offered.
22 Stoney Hill Road at Route 6
North Swansea, MA
Phone: 508-379-0376
Stunning rose gardens
The Martin House Farm is a rare example of an 18th and early 19th century farm which still retains the character of its original setting. It consists of the house, two barns and cultivated fields surrounded by dry stone walls and woodlands. A rose garden is a stunning feature.
Hours: May 1-November 1, Wednesday-Sunday, noon-4 p.m. Closed holidays. Fee charged.
936 County Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: 508-997-1401
Open: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.
This 28-room Greek Revival mansion was built for whaling merchant William Rotch, Jr. in 1834. The house and formal gardens chronicle 150 years of economic, social and domestic life in New Bedford. The grounds encompass a full city block of gardens including a Wildflower Walk, a formal boxwood rose parterre garden, a cutting garden, a boxwood specimen garden and an historic wood lattice pergola. Fee charged.
