Nora Miller of Hollis built a beautiful pollinator garden in 2019.  This garden has raised beds with benches to let visitors sit and relax  It is planted with a variety of grasses, flowers and vines to attract pollinators including hummingbirds. The purpose is to directly benefit local pollinators and teach Beaver Brook visitors about the importance of pollinator species and plants.

See the before and after photos on her website.

The rockery project began in January 1985, led by Alice Simonds and Betty Wood. The site chosen for the rockery was a neglected area on the north end of a large barn at Beaver Brook. Once the site was chosen, the gardeners used the horticultural library to study rock garden plants and seeds. Plantings were begun in a greenhouse; by spring, large rocks and then seedlings were placed, thus creating Alice’s Rockery.

In early 1999, the Maple Hill Gardeners decided to restructure the rockery. Changes began in the spring with the removal of a dead tree. As a result of this change, the rockery was altered from a shady garden to a sunny one. In addition, the volunteers rearranged old rocks in the garden and brought in new rocks for placement.

Plants in Alice’s Rockery that bloom in the spring and summer are: Leopard’s Bane, Primrose, Hosta, Dwarf Iris, Bleeding Heart, Great Solomon’s Seal, and two native species of woodland Phlox. Cotoneaster drapes over the wall. Autumn Crocus and White Wood Aster bloom at the time of Fall Festival. There are several species of native ferns: Maidenhair, near the steps; Ostrich around the deck, Oak-fern along the edge of the wall, Evergreen Wood Fern, Fragile Fern in the rock wall, plus Lady Fern and Hay Scented Fern. Vinca serves as a ground cover, and Viburnums occupy the east side.

In May, 2004, the Maple Hill Gardeners worked in Alice’s gardens (at her own home) one Monday morning. The gardens in her own backyard were so beautiful! Later that same day, the gardeners stayed for lunch and ate cake, celebrating Alice’s 100th birthday with her at her home in Hollis. Alice was a lovely person.

At the grand age of 104, Alice passed away on May 21, 2008. She will surely be missed! The Maple Hill Gardeners will continue to take great care of Alice’s Rockery. May we all live to enjoy gardening and life as long as Alice Simonds did.

Before being called The Victorian Garden, this garden was known as The Gazebo Garden. The garden was designed around the gazebo, which was constructed in the 1870’s, and fenced with a replica of a picket fence that originally stood at Maple Hill. According to one recollection, as stated in Beaver Brook’s historical archives, the gazebo – also known as The Summer House -, was painted white with light green trim and had roses growing on it. In the gazebo, Mrs. Minnie Colburn (who lived at Maple Hill Farm), received guests and served tea in her summer house. Mrs. Colburn was fond of flowers, using Peonies, Columbine, Hollyhocks, and Climbing Roses in The Gazebo Garden.

In 1981, the Gazebo was reconstructed and a Victorian Garden was planted with flowering borders, which were indicative of gardens in the 1900’s. In addition to the surviving old roses, today’s plantings include: Coral Bells, Astilbe, Garden Phlox, Hydrangea, Boxwood, Mallow, English Daisy, Hydrangea, Boxwood, Bergenia, Hosta, Wild Ginger, Japanese Painted Fern, Ostrich Fern, and Sedum.

The Hedged Garden, designed in 1983, is a full-sun garden. This garden evolved from perennials and annuals that had been grown from seed and propagated by division since 1980.  This garden contains flower beds with annuals and perennials and grass walkways, all surrounded by Privet and Arborvitae hedges.

Plants to be found here include: Buddleia, Crane’s Bill, Dahlia, Fescue, Gas Plant, Lamb’s Ear, Peonies, Poppies, Bluebeard (Caryopteris), Siberian and Bearded Iris, Gaillardia, Liatris, Delphinium, Lupine, Blue False Indigo, Obedience, Asters, Goldenrod, and two species of Filipendula (Dropwort and Queen of the Prairie). Many annuals are added for summer color.

The Arbor Garden, built in 1986, is covered with Wisteria vines, which need rigorous pruning in winter or early spring before new growth starts. Nearby stands a dwarf Copper Beech, a gift from the Hollis Garden Club in 1985. The unmowed field beyond the Arbor provides a nursery for butterfly caterpillars: Queen Anne’s Lace for Black Swallowtails, Milkweed for Monarchs, clover for Little Blues, and assorted grasses for Satyrs and Skippers.

During the gardening season, chairs are placed under the arbor so visitors can sit and enjoy the beautiful gardens and peaceful ambiance that the gardens at Beaver Brook provide.

As the name states, The Little Barn Garden is adjacent to a structure known as The Little Barn. Growing up one side of The Little Barn is a plant called the Kiwi vine; little white flowers emerge from this vine each year and provide pleasure to all who pass by. The Little Barn had a make-over in the Spring of 2008. New plants, new flower barrels, and a donation board were placed along the side of the building. (See the first picture below.)

Ground covers growing in the shade of the maple tree include: evergreen European Ginger, Foam Flower, and a variegated Lamium (dead nettle). Great Solomon’s Seal grows toward the back of the beds.

Don’t forget to stop by The Little Barn in September when Beaver Brook holds its annual Fall Festival. The Little Barn is where the gardeners spend time selling their dried flower arrangements, home-made crafts and treats, in order to raise money for the plants they purchase each year for the Maple Hill Gardens. Please stop by and say hello, and enjoy some hot/cold apple cider.