One of the Last Working Formal Estate Gardens of the Early 20th Century
Fuller Gardens is a non-profit, public botanical garden located on the ocean in North Hampton, New Hampshire – right off the beaten path and a world away!
The formal rose gardens designed in the Colonial Revival style were commissioned during the late 1920s by Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller and designed by the Olmstead Firm as an ornament to his summer estate. The meticulously maintained rose gardens with hundreds of varieties begin their season long bloom cycle in late June and continue through October. The Japanese garden is usually in bloom in May and English the perennial plantings provide a continuous array of color and interest from spring until fall. A DAHLIA display garden also is full of color all season. The gardens are lined within large sculpted hedges, and the rose beds are framed in an array of superbly kept turf paths.
Today Fuller Gardens depends on the support of visitors, members, foundations and philanthropists. Fuller Gardens remains a seaside gem open for the enjoyment of seven thousand annual visitors.
The Gardens are open from Mothers Day through mid October, seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Please call ahead if you have any inclement weather concerns.
Jamie Colen, Garden Director
Garden Director Jamie Colen has continued the tradition of superior maintenance at Fuller Gardens. Jamie was appointed Garden Director in 1999 after serving on the gardening staff for seven seasons. His background of studying entomology at the University of New Hampshire helped develop the cornerstone of his approach: “We need to work with nature, not against it. Too often we do not take the time to observe nature enough to understand the balance. This is true with the respect to pests that are often maligned and treated with harsh chemicals that upset the predator/prey balance.” He loves the ever-changing nature of horticulture and insists that careful observation can help gardeners avoid bad choices. “This is one of the secrets to successful gardening. Soil makeup and care is also of massive importance – we should not look at soil as simply being a sponge that holds water. Soil is teeming with life and these life forms and their role must be understood in order for plants to thrive – feed the soil so the soil feeds the plants.” Jamie has been a rose consultant for the City of Boston and speaks frequently to Garden clubs across New England.