Long ago, a tiny green ash seed germinated in a crack in this boulder. Amazingly, its roots were able to find sufficient nutrients and water to grow into a mature shade tree.

A mixed-border garden of spring bulbs, annuals and perennials that provide a riot of color in summer. Shrubs and trees add year-round structure and interest. Designed by Cudnohufsky Associates, 2002.

Designed by a team of landscape architecture students from the University of Tennessee, this garden has a contemporary sensibility. The plant selection and naturalistic layout framing a fountain and fire feature evoke a feeling of serenity and simplicity.

A special place for children of all ages to get their hands dirty and wet while exercising their imaginations and learning about food crops and flowers. A colorful playhouse structure was designed by the late local artist Allen Timmons.

The raised beds in these two plots are laid out in tidy grids, each highlighting one type of vegetable or fruit. Raised beds can be planted earlier in spring as their soil warms up faster than lower ground. This is a benefit in our short growing season. Designed by Jack Staub, 2009.

Nestled in a grove of shady crabapples, just down the path from the Rose Garden, is BBG's fernery, which includes both native and nonnative species — more than 100, representing 17 varieties. Designed by Eric Ruquist, 2024.

What gardeners grow is typically limited by climate and season. Greenhouses, however, create a controlled environment for year-round growing, from seed starting and bulb forcing to growing heat-loving exotics.

Gardeners often build rock or alpine gardens around existing large, natural formations — like the rock at the center of this one. They also introduce rocks to imitate a geological formation. This example weaves together both natural and introduced rocks.

This border, honoring Beatrice Procter Frelinghuysen, a longtime supporter and trustee of the Garden, is shaded by maturing trees and planted with shade-tolerant perennials.

Created in 1937, the Herb Garden is the oldest continuously planted area of the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Since 1957, the Herb Associates volunteer group has been meeting weekly to grow and harvest herbs, and makes herb-based mustards, dressings and jellies sold in the Visitor Center.

Our topiary collection showcases the horticultural practice of clipping plants into specific shapes. These living sculptures were created from boxwood, yew and arborvitae and represent animals as well as inanimate objects.

The heart of BBG’s popular Farm in the Garden Camp, the Lodge was assembled using old world post-and-beam construction and many notable innovative engineering and design elements, including gorgeous, painstakingly engineered and arranged trusses.

Our collection of native North American plants demonstrates the effective use of such shrubs and ground covers for a home garden setting. Native plants can often provide better food sources for native insects and birds while still offering ornamental value.

Most gardens are designed for beauty, but our New Wave Garden is also designed for balance.

Despite its naturalistic look, this is a man-made pond with a waterproof liner. But local wildlife doesn't care if a pond is natural or artificial. Frogs, toads, dragonflies, salamanders, water beetles, and other animals gravitate to and depend upon this watery habitat.