Earlier this month, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed a new rule that could limit the scope of Endangered Species Act protections. The agencies are accepting public comments on the proposed rule change until May 19, 2025. Background: Currently, the Endangered Species Act prohibits certain actions that “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot,…
Two threatened mammal species could be wiped out at the site of a proposed industrial development on Darwin harbour backed by $1.5bn in federal funding, according to a leaked environmental assessment.
This San Antonio householder investigated, designed, then spent 3 years making a low-cost, low-tech irrigation plan for his desert yard. It’s quite lush.
https://youtu.be/ZGsuOyzyYcI?si=6LtVjG4KVRS98ElX I DEMOLISHED the sidewalk to pull water into my yard. Then I grew a food forest using that water. And it was all done within the bounds of rules and regs.
Other videos explore the water quality, which is shockingly excellent.
the landing with a view of the belgian fence and grass acre
Bedrock Gardens is one of the special places that inspired me to write my series of garden travel guides. When I first visited more than 10 years ago, I was awed by the imagination and creative energy of what was then a private garden and a showcase for Jill Nooney’s sculpture. This was an extraordinary place, a hidden gem, that I wanted to share with other gardeners. I have visited many times since then and was delighted that Bedrock Gardens evolved and grew into a public garden that now welcomes thousands of visitors annually.
Bedrock Gardens was once described as a “cross between Sissinghurst and the Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden.” One of the most creative landscapes in New England, the New Hampshire garden began as the private home of Bob Munger and Jill Nooney. In 1980 the couple purchased this former dairy farm and began a 40-year transformation of the landscape into a collection of themed garden rooms enlivened by whimsical sculptures.
the rock garden
Nooney is a retired clinical social worker, as well as an artist and graduate of the Radcliffe Institute Landscape Design program. She uses old farm equipment and repurposed metal to create a variety of abstract sculptures, arches, arbors, water features and “creatures” inspired by nature and her imagination. Munger is a retired doctor and a lifelong tinkerer. Nooney is the garden’s visionary artist and “problem maker.” He is the “problem solver,” the implementor of those visions, including beautifully patterned walkways and patios, and hydraulics for water features.
the wave
Nooney and Munger created their garden as a journey with “places to go, places to pause and rest, and interesting things to see along the way.” Nearly two-dozen “points of interest,” many with humorous names, are connected by paths that wind through garden rooms, around ponds, and through woodlands.
parterre garden
Closest to the house, a yew hedge encloses a formal parterre planted with white flowers, with a diamond patterned bluestone path and a circular pool and fountain. The Straight and Narrow garden features a cobbled-edged path that runs between beds of native trees, shrubs, and perennials. The Swaleway’s woodland wildflowers welcome spring amidst towers of balanced stones. The Garish Garden’s playful sculptures fit in with flowers in flaming reds and oranges and trees and shrubs with bright gold foliage.
the garish garden
Bedrock Gardens is full of new ideas for gardeners as well as new takes on classic garden forms. The Wiggle Waggle is a wavy 200-foot long water channel, planted with lotus and water lilies. The Spiral Garden is a “twist” on a traditional maze garden, with twirling roof ventilators on spiral stands that emphasize the Fibonacci-inspired paving laid in a moss floor. Grass Acre is a “painting” of Switchgrass, Hakone Grass, and Little Blue Stem, anchored by a metal sculpture that evokes a mountain range. The Dark Woods is a grove of dead trees accented with sculptural ghosts, spiders, and other scary creatures. The Wave is a series of 26 small metal characters on pedestals backed by a tall arborvitae hedge. A new Stumpery takes this Victorian-era shade garden into the 21st century. Several ponds and many more gardens await the visitor.
stumpery
baxis
Walking through the gardens is a delightful journey. There are many places to sit and enjoy a vista or a sculpture along the way. The Japanese Garden and Tea House offer quiet repose in the woods, and the two thrones at the Termi at the far end of the large pond offer a stunning view along the 900-foot axis through the garden. Nooney designed the garden with an artist’s eye and her strategic placement of focal points and vistas takes classical garden design concepts into a contemporary setting.
Bedrock Gardens is open mid-May to mid-October, Tuesday–Friday 10-4 and the 1st and 3rd weekend each month. Garden tours are offered daily at 10:15 am, and group tours can be arranged in advance. Special events include art and gardening programs, catepillar lab, and a fairy and hobbit festival.
In the real world, PFAS is staring you in the face whichever direction you face. That is true whether or not biosolids are even a blip on your horizon. Part I
