The Ghost ‘Munk of Bedrock Gardens

As part of my summer reading, I borrowed “New England Ghost Critter Stories” from the library. The stories are scary but clearly written for their entertainment value. Lots of fuzzy photos of critter ghosts and accompanied by wild tales. One story stood out from the rest. It actually seemed believable. There have been numerous sightings over the past twenty years or so, of a Ghost ‘Munk at the Bedrock Gardens in Lee, NH. I Googled this Bedrock Gardens and found out it is open to the public during the summer.

This is the most famous photo of the Ghost’Munk. It was taken about ten years ago in broad daylight. I checked and the photo has not been altered in anyway.

I arrived at 10 am when they first open to avoid the heat of the day. I scampered over to the admission booth to pay the entrance fee. No one noticed I was there. The place is setup for humans. I finally got their attention and a nice lady peered over the edge of the booth counter. She was rather surprised, but cheerily welcomed me. I inquired after the Ghost ‘Munk and was directed to the Woodpile.

This is no ordinary Woodpile. It was designed by a famous chipmunk architect. What was it doing in the middle of the woods in New Hampshire?

I made further inquiries and a nice human volunteer steered me to the Stone Wall. By this point I was thinking I was being sent on a wild ghost chase. Out of the wall popped an old chipmunk who was clearly a gardener. Well, finally a critter that will give me a straight answer. I inquired after the Ghost ‘Munk, the old fella started chuckling and finally broke out into uncontrollable laughter. After a few minutes, he looked me in the eye and said, “You just met him.” Well, it turns out this old fella has been the head gardener for over twenty years. Of course none of the human visitors would ever believe such a thing was possible. So, the staff made up this story of the Ghost ‘Munk when visitors asked about the chipmunk tending the gardens. He gave me a private tour of the place. I snapped a few photos to share with my readers.

There was this huge pile of antique parts near the barn. All of this obsolete technology is recycled into beautiful sculptures by artist and co-founder of the Bedrock Gardens, Jill Nooney.

 

This is one of a series of character creations.

Don’t forget the insect repellent, the bugs around here are huge!

This section is called the “Garnish Garden” an eclectic mix of different flowers and plants.

My personal favorite was this Zen like serpentine water feature.

It had these wonderful water lilies.

This part of the garden is managed by an aquaculturist.

She takes a well deserved break from her duties.

They have a nectar bar which is popular with butterflies like this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

I was amazed to find a flock of flamingos!

There is something magical about this place. This bench levitates in mid air. The legs are not touching the ground!